Melissa Thomas captured the storm rolling in over Echuca west on Sunday.
Photo by
Melissa Thomas
A strong storm cell battered properties and caused damage across Tongala and surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon, August 25.
Sunday afternoon’s storm cell caused destruction at many properties, including Tongala resident Linda King’s. Photos: Oliver Shedden
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One such property was Tongala resident Linda King’s, which was hit hard by storm.
Ms King’s property sustained significant damage, including fences crushed by uprooted trees, gates that became unhinged and debris that caused roof tiles to come loose, leading to flooding in her house.
Ms King’s property suffered significant damage.
Photo by
Oliver Shedden
Ms King and her family have lived on the property for over 20 years and have only previously received damage from one storm.
The repair bill is expected to be in the thousands.
Trees in Ms King’s yard were uprooted due to gale force winds in the storm.
Photo by
Oliver Shedden
From 9am Sunday, August 25 to the same time on Monday, August 26, the Kyabram area received 20.2mm of rain, the highest rainfall in 24 hours this month.
In the same period, the Bureau of Meteorology reported Echuca had 13mm of rain, which was also the highest for the town in August.
Ms King’s property was not the only one affected by what residents described as a “mini tornado”.
The SES Kyabram Unit had 10 callouts Sunday night and more Monday morning to deal with blocked driveways and damages.
SES Kyabram Unit controller Paul Octigan spoke about the storm cell and its effect on the Tongala area’s residents.
Trees fell through Ms King’s fences.
Photo by
Oliver Shedden
“There was quite a significant storm cell that passed through the area and hit Tongala pretty hard last night,” he said.
“There is quite a lot of storm damage, well over thousands of dollars across these properties.
“We had 10 callouts last night alone and then more this morning, so I’d say it's been pretty destructive.”
The SES Echuca Unit received no callouts in response to the storm.
The forecast for the remainder of the week is for mild temperatures and some strong winds.
Wednesday is set to be windy and cloudy, with gusts reaching up to 50km/h in the morning then settling to 25km/h in the afternoon with a top of 18°C.
Thursday will be cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of rain most likely in the morning. The temperature will reach a top of 17°C.
There is a shower or two expected for Friday with the chance of rain up to 50 per cent, and wind speed will reach 35km/h during the day with a top of 21°C.
Saturday will be partly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of rain and a top of 19°C.
There will be a slight chance of a shower in the morning on Sunday, with the temperature peaking at 18°C.
If your property has been affected by storm damage, contact the SES on 132 500 for assistance.
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