Giant 'Golfball' Hailstones In Melbourne Storm Flash Floods

As Australia only just begins to recover from the devastating bushfires that wiped out parts of the country, the threat of flash floods and torrential rain has hit Melbourne with 'golfball' sized hailstones hammering down across the city.

Hailstones as large as 5cm in diameter have been pictured by residents as the weather suddenly changed with temperatures plunging from 30 degrees celsius.

The heavy hailstorm has shredded trees, damaged properties and brought one of the busiest highways in Melbourne to a complete standstill.

People have been sharing pictures of hailstones as big as the palm of their hand to social media, alongside videos of the heavy rainfall that has even caused some buildings to collapse.

One video being shared across social media shows shoppers running for cover in a Woolworths supermarket as rain pours through the roof.

Krystian Seibert from Hawthorn, described the scenes in an interview with the Herald Sun: "The hail sounded like a pinball machine with golf ball sized hailstones falling. I've lived in Melbourne for a long time and I've never seen or experienced something like this."

@colfai/Twitter

Residents have been warned to stay indoors and traffic has been brought to a standstill as the threat of flash floods pummelled Melbourne's east, southeast and city centre.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning when the storm hit Melbourne, describing the weather as 'very dangerous storm' and advising residents to remain indoors if possible. A tweet from The Bureau of Meteorology in reference to the heavy rainfall, said: "Take care on the roads - if it's flooded, forget it."

The Emergency Services are also on standby for this latest episode of freak weather, with Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville warning: "We're going to see some potentially flash flooding and severe thunderstorms over the next couple of days, including some damaged fire areas."

Official advice for residents from the State Emergency Service is to secure loose outdoor furniture, umbrellas and trampolines and move cars inside or away from trees until the weather is deemed safe.

Topics: Weather, News, Australia

Niamh Spence

Niamh Spence is a freelance writer, covering lifestyle topics. She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in Journalism in 2012 and has switched between PR and journalism ever since. Usually found with coffee and on twitter.

@missnspence