MELBOURNE: Almost 20,000 people were without power in southern Australia today after wild winds brought down trees and power lines.
Electricity network operator AusNet reported 72 separate outages across the south of the country, where wind gusts hit 113kph.
Some 19,300 customers were said to be affected.
The Victoria state emergency service has issued a “severe weather” warning for today and into tomorrow, telling people to stay away from trees and fallen power lines.
The bureau of meteorology reported wind gusts of more than 100kph in several locations east of Melbourne.
Winds were expected to ease gradually overnight.