Australia Weather News

A cool change is finally moving through parts of Victoria, after several days of blistering heat.

A severe heat warning remained in place for most of the state today, with temperatures in the mid to high 30s or low 40s.

Overnight, thunderstorms struck isolated parts of western Victoria, and night-time temperatures in Melbourne remained in the mid-20s.

But there is good news for southern Victoria, with temperatures starting to fall, signalling a more pleasant night's sleep.

ABC weather presenter and meteorologist Adam Morgan said a cool change moved through Geelong at around 1:30pm, then pushed up the bay, arriving in Melbourne shortly before 3pm."After an earlier top of 37.3 degrees in blistering sunshine, the city fell from 35 to 27 in just half an hour with the cool change," Dr Morgan said.

"By 4pm, the temperature was sitting on just 22."As winds turned southerly, gusts between 50 and 70 kilometres per hour were recorded around Melbourne this afternoon, and as high as 78 kph over the bay.

"We did see a few thunderstorms pop up this afternoon about the outer northern suburbs," Dr Morgan said.

"Some of those turned severe over the hills to the north-east late this afternoon, with the Bureau (of Meteorology) issuing a warning for damaging winds and heavy rain."

Severe thunderstorm warning

Just after 5pm, the bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning for central Victoria and East Gippsland.

It said severe thunderstorms were likely to produce heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding and damaging winds over the next few hours in locations such as Orbost, Buchan, Gelantipy and Bonang.

The SES has advised people in those areas to avoid travel if possible, and to steer clear of hazards such as floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees.Earlier, BOM senior forecaster Matthew Hosie said the cool change crossed the South Australian border into south-west Victoria around dawn.

However, the heat was not expected to dissipate in northern parts of the state until Wednesday.

Bushfires still burning out of control

Lightning is believed to have sparked a new blaze that placed residents close to Melbourne on alert on Tuesday morning.

Those in areas near Bullengarook, north-west of Melbourne, were urged to monitor for strengthening winds, a change in wind direction, smoke and poor visibility. As of 3pm, that advice had been downgraded.

Fire authorities continue to battle a number of out-of-control bushfires in the state's west and south-west, including in the Great Otway National Park, the Little Desert National Park and Grampians National Park.

Mr Hosie said thunderstorms and lightning strikes were recorded in the west overnight, including over the Otways.

"Unfortunately, for the most part, we didn't see a lot in the way of rainfall for any of the fires, the Grampians or Little Desert or the Otways either."

Forest Fire Management's Chris Hardman said the fires had been burning under northerly winds.

He said the cool change may still pose a risk to communities north of where the fires are currently burning.

"What will happen is those winds will tend to the south-west and south and that will put significant pressure on the northern edge of those fires which haven't been tested."

Earlier, Luke Heagerty from the State Control Centre said crews had worked tirelessly to prepare for the changing conditions.

"It's always a concern for us when we see a wind change, when we've got fires burning in the landscape," he said.

"What sort of effect that has, we're hoping, will be mitigated by the amount of work that crews have done over the past week or so to really contain these fires."

'A direct attack on the fire' 

NSW National Parks and Wildlife firefighter Mark Ingram is fighting the fires at Mirranatwa, in the Grampians.

He said the fires were the most complex he has faced.

"We had an instance where we were on the edge of private property … and the fire inside the forests was starting to really build up and to roar coming through," Mr Ingram said.

"So we were then faced with a direct attack on the fire."

He said there were three aircraft, a grader and more than a dozen other appliances working amid heavy smoke, fleeing kangaroos and other wildlife coming out of the scrub.

"So, there's a bit of mayhem that goes on for a while."

Heavy thunderstorms and frequent lightning strikes in recent days have authorities concerned for fires that have not yet been discovered.

More than 500,000 lightning strikes — about 50,000 of which hit the ground — were recorded across the state in the 24-hour period from 11am Sunday to Monday.

"The concern is that we might have areas of the state where there's been some lightning strikes hitting the ground, potentially starting new fires that haven't been reported yet," Mr Heagerty said.