Ballarat residents were given a taste of the upcoming winter season on Saturday night, with the city and its surrounding areas buffeted by wild winds and a downpour of rain.
Farmers in the area would rejoice, with the sudden swing from pleasant autumn sunshine to heavy conditions resulting in a 15-millimetre downpour following a harsh summer.
Much of the rain between Saturday and Sunday fell in the early hours of Sunday morning, with Weatherzone from the Ballarat airport recording 10 millimetres dropping between 12.30am and 2.30am.
However, it was the wild winds that really added to the spectacle, with gusts over 74 kilometres per hour recorded during the night.
Strong winds continued on Sunday, with gusts up to 50km/h recorded in Ballarat at 2pm.
Weatherzone officials also confirmed there had been 580 lightning strikes within 50 kilometres of Ballarat during the night.
Despite the conditions causing a degree of carnage, local State Emergency Services officials said it was a reasonably quiet weekend overall.
“Across the mid-west region we only three requests for assistance (including the Ballarat area),” SES mid-west regional duty officer Grant Bradshaw said.
The Victoria Emergency website also listed instances of damage to houses in Ballarat.
However, Mr Bradshaw said locals should remain wary, with strong winds again expected for Tuesday.
The lightning nonetheless made its mark on Saturday night, with bolt reducing a tree to splinters when it impacted on block of land in Brown Hill.
Owner of the block, Jackie McPhan, said the tree was “totally devastated”.
“The biggest splinter was over three metres long and weighing around 40 to 50 kilograms,” she said.
“It landed about 30 metres from the tree (and) we measured pieces that were around 70 metres away (from the tree).”
