The big clean up has begun after a severe wind storm lashed Victoria, claiming the life of a woman, injuring nearly a dozen others, and leaving tens of thousands without power or stuck waiting for delayed flights and trains.
The wild weather turned deadly just after 1pm on Sunday when a large tree was ripped out of the ground and came crashing down on a property in Millgrove, a town east of Melbourne, while wind gusts topped 122km/h at Mount Hotham.
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Wild winds leaves thousands without power
Strong winds of up to 120km/h have created dangerous conditions for pilots, drivers and cyclists.
A woman, believed to be in her 50s, was alone at the time and could not be revived, a police spokesman said.
Jack Rhynsburger, 58, was sitting next door with his partner, Sharon, in their rented home when the giant gum crashed through their roof.
"The house was totally demolished and I was pushed away from the tree by the force of the impact," he said.
It took a few minutes before he realised the tree had also struck his neighbour's house and the woman inside had been killed by the impact.
"We survived, but our neighbour did not," he said. "I don't know what to think about it."
He did not know anything about the woman other than remembering she had moved in about eight months ago.
But she was the first confirmed fatality from the fierce winds, which also injured two firefighters, a golfer, four people clearing trees and two others in their homes, including an 81-year-old woman, who became trapped inside her home during the severe weather conditions.
Her Tecoma property in the city's outer east was damaged when a tree branch pierced through the roof and struck her, Nine News reported. She was rescued a short time later and taken to hospital.
A woman in Healesville also suffered serious injuries when she was struck in the head by a tree.
The wind brought down trees and power lines across the state, damaged dozens of homes and turned a house fire in Aspendale Gardens into a dangerous blaze that threatened nearby properties.
Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley described the storm as a one in five-year event.
"It was a really dynamic environment," he said of the storm during a 4pm press conference at the state control centre.
Premier Daniel Andrews urged the public to be careful as the severe weather warning continued into late Sunday evening.
"It's not just about your safety, as important as that is," he said.
"If you make the right decisions then you avoid members of our emergency services having to put themselves in harm's way."
Do you have photos or videos of the weather? Send them to scoop@theage.com.au
The SES also received more than 3200 calls for help as wind gusts picked up tree branches and smashed them into police cars and fire trucks out trying to clear debris from blocked roads.
In Melbourne, train network operator Metro asked customers to consider staying home on Sunday after multiple train lines were suspended due to fallen trees.
"Due to extreme weather conditions affecting train services around the network, we advise customers to consider deferring travel if possible," the company stated.
The Royal Botanic Gardens were also closed, as were the Werribee Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary.
Sunday's Cranbourne Cup horse racing event also had to be postponed after the high winds caused dust storms and made it nearly impossible for riders to control their mounts.
Melbourne Airport remained open, but was reduced to one runway, causing major delays and cancellations. Passengers began posting photos on social media of a long line of planes waiting to depart.
The tail of a cargo plane had struck the tarmac during the wind storm, causing the runway to be shut while the aircraft was inspected, Airservices Australia said.
Across the state, nearly 130,000 properties lost power as residents jammed power company call centres. Around 70,000 homes were still without power just before midnight.
Powercor asked customers to check their website for updates rather than calling their outage line unless they were in a dangerous situation.
AusNet Services offered the same advice, with the state's east facing about half of the power outages.
Weather bureau senior forecaster Dean Stewart said the worst of the gale-force winds had passed Melbourne by 7pm when a cold front started moving in.
A severe weather warning remained in place until 11pm on Sunday for most of the state as SES crews planned on working through the night to deal with the backlog of calls.
The windy conditions came as the state continued to deal with major flood warnings.
Residents of flood-affected Wangaratta had started returning home, but an evacuation warning remained in place for residents of Ulupna Island on the Murray River.
There are 15 homes and a number of campsites on the island, which is now inaccessible.
- with AAP