2010 Melbourne thunderstorm

The 2010 Melbourne thunderstorm was a severe weather event that occurred on 6 and 7 March 2010 in western and central Victoria, Australia. A large thunderstorm passed through western Victoria and later, Greater Melbourne causing lightning, flash flooding, very large hail and strong winds. The storm passed through western Victoria around midday and passed over Greater Melbourne from 2-5pm (AEDT), continuing to the state's southeast into the late afternoon.
The storm brought heavy rain which led to flash flooding, disrupting transport in central Melbourne throughout the afternoon. Many buildings were damaged, some major buildings were evacuated including Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations, Highpoint Shopping Centre and Docklands Stadium. A number of sporting events were cancelled. On average, hail was between and , while at Ferntree Gully in Melbourne's east, hail of up to was reported.
Around 20 people are confirmed to have been injured as a result of the storms, many more suffering minor hail-induced injuries. Extensive storms and flash flooding also affected Melbourne only weeks beforehand on February 11, 2010. It is likely that heavy rain and possibly further storms will continue into the evening according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Storm overview
In the days before the storm, a large mass of warm, humid, air had passed down from Queensland, where it had caused record flooding in southern Queensland. This warm mass of air clashed with a cold low pressure system coming from the west. The resulting storms involved rotating winds around the low pressure centre, which acted like a "mini-cyclone" according to Bureau of Meterology forecaster, Scott Williams. These storms swept through Victoria from northwest to southeast from the 6th to the 7th of March.
March 6
The storms developed (where?) (how?) (when?) and initially began traveling across the state on March 6 roughly from northwest to southeast at (speed?), passing directly through central Melbourne at around 2:40pm. Multiple storm cells existed, one in Western Victoria and another in Central Victoria & Melbourne, other mostly rain-bearing systems passed through the state throughout the night. At the storm's peak, a band of rain and hail stretched across the state moving in a southeasterly direction. The storm cells generated thunder, lightning, heavy rain, very large hail and high winds.
March 7
Moderate to heavy rain continued throughout the evening and into March 7. Further storms are predicted for March 7 to bring heavy rain and the possibility of flash flooding, expected to arrive around 3pm in Melbourne.
Timeline
March 6 central Victorian storm
*1:30pm—storm arrives at Bendigo
*2.25pm—storm arrives at Melton, St Albans, Sunbury and Werribee
*2:40pm—storm arrives at central Melbourne
*3:00pm—storm arrives at Caulfield, Craigieburn, Footscray, Glen Waverley, Greensborough and Preston.
*3:10pm—storm arrives at Scoresby with hail the "size of cricket balls"
Affected areas
The storms affected much of the state, mostly western and central Victoria.
*Bendigo— of rain fell causing flash flooding. By 1:30pm, the Victorian State Emergency Service had responded to 140 calls for help. A house was evacuated in Bendigo as it became inundated.
Greater Melbourne
The storm cell passed over Greater Melbourne between 2-5pm affecting all areas to varying degrees, causing flash flooding, high winds and large hail. The storm affected transportation, sporting events and festivals. Several buildings were damaged and evacuated. Many people received minor injuries from hail.
The storm cell arrived in central Melbourne at around 2:40pm, where the city experienced of rain in less than 18 minutes, of rain within 60 minutes and in 90 minutes. Wind speeds of over 100km/h (62 mph) were recorded at Melbourne Airport, and of rain was recorded at Rockbank, west of Melbourne. of rain fell at Monbulk in Melbourne's east and fell at Maribyrnong in the city's west.
Hail in the city and western suburbs was "the size of golf balls", whilst hail in the inner east was said to be "marble sized". Other areas experienced hail the "size of cricket balls", around 5cm diameter. In many areas, piles of hail caused disruptions to traffic and sporting events, amongst other things. Hail also affected the many deciduous trees in Melbourne, shredding leaves off the trees which were then taken away by flood waters.
Ambient light in Melbourne decreased significantly throughout the storm, cloud colour was described as "very dark grey to black".
Effects
By 1:30pm, the State Emergency Service had responded to 140 calls for help, this increased to 200 calls by 3:45pm. By the late afternoon, over 1,000 calls for help had been received, with just over 800 originating from the Melbourne metro area. By 7:00pm, around 2,500 calls had been received, mostly from residents whose roofs had collapsed and houses that had flooded.
Injuries
Many people suffered injuries from hail stones, though the exact numbers are unknown, most received cuts and bruises. Paramedics treated around 20 people attending the Moomba Festival on the banks of the Yarra River for hail stone-related injuries. There were reports of parents shielding children with their own bodies, bin lids and other items.
Building damage
Many residential dwellings were damaged, some estimates suggest around 2,000, primarily due to overloaded gutting causing roofing leaks and collapses; others were damaged due to flooding, water damage, hail window damage and wind damage. Several major buildings in the city were damaged and evacuated, including Southern Cross Station, evacuated primarily due to a roofing collapse; and Flinders Street Station, evacuated primarily due to flooding. Highpoint Shopping Centre, Chadstone Shopping Centre and the Jam Factory complex were also evacuated. Docklands Stadium was evacuated when roofing at Gate 3 collapsed. Media House and the ABC Headquarters in Southbank were also damaged with roofing collapses.
Transportation
Transport in central Melbourne was severely affected by the storms, specifically due to flash flooding and piles of hail, causing disruptions to automobile traffic, the cancellation of tram and train services and the evacuation of both Southern Cross and Flinders Street Stations, the largest passenger rail stations in Victoria.
Elizabeth Street in the city, situated on a natural watercourse, was completely flooded as water traveled southwards down the hill towards the Yarra River. The Elizabeth Street floodwaters inundated automobiles and several trams. Streets were flooded throughout Melbourne, Southbank, Docklands, South Melbourne and other areas. Roads remained closed in the city center into the evening. Both the Domain and Burnley tunnels were closed due to flooding, causing traffic on the West Gate Freeway to stop.
Trains initially stopped running between and to Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations. The entire Hurstbridge line was suspended due to storm damage. There were cancellations on the Belgrave, Epping, Frankston, Sandringham, and Werribee lines and the Upfield line also experienced delays due to storm damage.
Several trams ceased services in the city for the afternoon due to flooding, slowly reopening into the early evening.
Utilities
10,000 houses were without power in Melbourne and 20,000 across the state.
Event cancellations
Two NAB pre-season cup AFL matches were affected by the storms. A match between St. Kilda and Fremantle was initially canceled but later revised to a later start time due to damage to Docklands Stadium. Another match between Brisbane Lions and Geelong Cats at Visy Park, Geelong was canceled due to lightening and heavy rain.
Piles of hail and flooding affected racing at Flemington Racecourse, the Australian Guineas and the Australian Cup were both postponed until the following weekend.
The Moomba Festival celebrations, musical events and fireworks were canceled after hail injured participants, paramedics treated 20 people in attendance.

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