Melbourne Receives Heavy Rain and Severe Storm in 38 Years
Melbourne, Australia’s second most populous city, is bracing for more rain after the most severe storm in 38-years lashed the city yesterday, canceling sporting events, train services and causing power outages.
“There is likely to be more storms on and off through this afternoon and again they could be severe,” Michael Halfpenny, Melbourne-based duty forecaster for the Bureau of Meteorology, said by phone today.
The Victorian State Emergency Service received more than 3,200 calls from residents seeking assistance from building damage and flooding, spokeswoman Natasha Duckett said.
Tennis ball-sized hail damaged cars and smashed windows, while heavy rain flooded streets and led to the cancelation of train services.
About 37,000 customers lost power after the storm, Hugo Armstrong, spokesman for distributors CitiPower and Powercor said.
