Residents of a Victorian town are picking up the pieces after wild winds caused localised damage to homes, with authorities assessing if a tornado is to blame.
The storm hit Horsham in the state's northwest after midnight, with winds ripping roofs from houses, downing trees and breaking windows.
There have been more than 70 calls for help to the SES in the area from 1am to 10am, with a distinct line of incidents to the north of the town.
Two people were trapped inside their home at Perkins Court when a neighbour's roof blocked their door, and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said five homes were now uninhabitable.
"Although the bureau is yet to formally declare it a tornado, it certainly has the appearances of it," she told reporters on Monday.
"I know that it was a terrifying experience. We've got supports from local government, CFA and SES up there to assist them in any way that those communities need."
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Christopher Arvier isn't ruling out the possibility it was a tornado, but noted the strongest winds only reached 50km/h.
"There was quite severe damage that occurred as a line of showers went over Horsham," he said.
"We did see very strong winds across Victoria across the weekend. So it is also possible that it was just associated with some very strong downbursts during some showers."
Mr Arvier said tornadoes are quite rare in Victoria, with only one or two forming across the state each year.
But a team of severe weather meteorologists is evaluating the weather event, with a preliminary assessment expected to be completed on Monday afternoon.
"Unstable air can lead to lots of updrafts and downdrafts in the atmosphere and when you get that sort of stretching of the atmosphere, you can start to see the winds turn and become tornado-like," Mr Arvier said.
Over the past 24 hours, SES has been called to 214 jobs in Victoria as wind gusts of up to 110km/h were recorded over alpine areas and along the coast.
Winds across the state have eased below warning thresholds on Monday.
But unseasonably cold conditions remain, with maximum temperatures tipped to be about eight to 12C below the December average.
