Flash flooding possible as thunderstorms rumble towards Melbourne from the west

Flash flooding could hit Melbourne late on Easter Monday as thunderstorms rumble across from Victoria’s west, dispelling smoke haze that has smothered the city for days.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall and damaging winds for much of central Victoria.

Weather bureau meteorologist Stephanie Miles said a strengthening cold front would trigger thunderstorms in western Victoria from Monday morning.

In the afternoon, the heaviest rainfall will be concentrated in western areas like Ballarat and the Otways before shifting to Geelong and Melbourne in the evening, she said. Overnight, the storms will pass over the city and deliver downpours to the Eastern Ranges.

“Flash flooding is definitely a possibility with this heavy rainfall,” Miles said. “However, we’re not really expecting any riverine flooding with this one.”

Bendigo, Seymour, Maryborough, Ballarat, Geelong and Melbourne are among the communities in the warning zone that extends from close to Stawell, in the west, to Falls Creek, in the east.

“Six-hourly rainfall totals between 30 and 50 millimetres are likely, with isolated falls of 70 millimetres possible,” the weather bureau alert reads.

Peak wind gusts of around 90 km/h are possible in the central and northeastern ranges from this evening.

The weather bureau says the smoke haze that has blanketed Melbourne over the Easter weekend is expected to clear on Monday night or Tuesday when the cold front moves over the city.

The smoke, mostly from planned burns in Melbourne’s outer east, has hung over much of the city since Good Friday, and the Environment Protection Authority is predicting Melbourne’s air quality will be poor until late on Monday.

The smoke haze on Monday morning at Brimbank Park.

The haze reduced the visibility for those at the MCG watching the AFL match between Richmond and Sydney on Sunday afternoon.

Today, the weather bureau’s forecast suggests much of the Easter Monday clash between Geelong and Hawthorn will be played in wet weather, making for a scrappier affair.