Destructive wind storm causes mass power outages in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia

A powerful cold front produced destructive winds across Victoria and Tasmania, Australia on September 1 and 2, 2024, causing widespread chaos and mass power outages. One fatality was reported.

Victoria experienced ferocious winds that swept through the region from the night of September 1 into the morning of September 2. The extreme weather was triggered by a powerful cold front embedded in an unusually strong pressure gradient.

Wind gusts ranging from 100 to 150 km/h (62 to 93 mph) were recorded across a vast area, extending from Portland in the west to Gabo Island in the east, and as far north as Eildon and Falls Creek.

Some of the most significant wind gusts included:

• 146 km/h (90.7 mph) at Wilsons Promontory
• 141 km/h (87.6 mph) at Mount Hotham
• 141 km/h (87.6 mph) at Fawkner Beacon
• 133 km/h (82.6 mph) at Mount Gellibrand
• 132 km/h (82.0 mph) at Falls Creek
• 124 km/h (77.1 mph) at South Channel Island
• 120 km/h (74.6 mph) at Portland Airport
• 115 km/h (71.5 mph) at Gabo Island
• 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at St Kilda Harbour
• 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at Cape Otway
• 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at Aireys Inlet
• 109 km/h (67.7 mph) at Port Fairy
• 106 km/h (65.9 mph) at Port Wilson
• 104 km/h (64.6 mph) at Eildon Fire Tower
• 102 km/h (63.4 mph) at Essendon

These severe winds led to widespread power outages as trees and branches fell onto power poles, wires, and other infrastructure.

Powercor reported that over 34 000 customers in western Victoria were without power on the morning of September 2, while AusNet said more than 90 000 customers were affected in the state’s east. In total, approximately 130 000 homes and businesses were left without power — approximately 350 000 people.

The Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) reported over 4 400 requests for assistance from the night of September 1 into the morning of September 2. “This includes over 3 100 trees down, and around 1 200 calls for building damage – an incredible effort,” their spokesperson said. “We can’t thank our volunteers enough for their ongoing hard work.”

More than half of the issues were resolved by midday on September 2. However, callouts were expected to rise as residents began to assess the damage.

Public transport across Victoria was also severely affected by the storms. Power outages and debris on the tracks led to the near-complete shutdown of the Sandringham line, with significant delays reported on the Frankston, Pakenham, and Cranbourne lines.

The powerful winds extended their reach beyond land, creating dangerous conditions along Victoria’s coastline. Gusts exceeding 150 km/h (93 mph) were recorded over open water, particularly at Hogan Island, leading to massive waves surging through Bass Strait.

Significant wave heights of 8.4 m (27.6 feet) were observed at Cape Bridgewater early on September 2, while tides rose close to 1 m (3.3 feet) higher than expected levels at Lakes Entrance and Port Welshpool Wharf.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning that remained in place into the afternoon of September 2, cautioning against damaging wind gusts across the state’s southern, central, and eastern districts, including Melbourne.

A Coastal Hazard warning was active due to the abnormally high tides and damaging surf along parts of the coast.

While the winds began to ease by the afternoon of September 2, with conditions expected to stabilize by September 3 as a high-pressure ridge built across the state, there was still significant concern for localized weather events.

“There are some homes that are uninhabitable. We don’t know exactly how many yet because impact assessments need to be undertaken,” said Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent.

A 63-year-old woman was reported dead after a tree fell on a cabin near the NSW-Victorian border. As of the morning of September 2, more than 120 000 Victorians were still without power, with crews working diligently to restore services as quickly as possible.

Telecommunications were also disrupted, with nearly 700 Telstra fixed-line customers unable to make or receive calls. The combined efforts of emergency responders, utility companies, and volunteers played a crucial role in managing the crisis and beginning the recovery process.

Tasmania also experienced severe weather over the weekend, with a series of strong cold fronts bringing a dangerous mix of damaging winds, heavy rain, record flooding, and substantial snowfalls.

The severe weather caused widespread power outages, with thousands of homes and businesses still without power as of the morning of September 2. The restoration timeline remained uncertain, reflecting the extent of the damage.

The winds in Tasmania were particularly strong, with Maatsuyker Island recording a mean wind speed of 163 km/h (101 mph) and a gust of up to 187 km/h (116 mph) on Saturday afternoon — equivalent to a category 4 cyclone on the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale.

Several wind records were shattered over the weekend, including:

• 130 km/h (80.8 mph) gust in Launceston
• 157 km/h (97.6 mph) gust on King Island
• 137 km/h (85.1 mph) mean wind speed and 172 km/h (106.9 mph) gust at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington)
• 128 km/h (79.5 mph) mean wind speed and 165 km/h (102.5 mph) gust at Low Rocky Point
• 106 km/h (65.9 mph) mean wind speed and 163 km/h (101.3 mph) gust at Hartz Mountain
• 141 km/h (87.6 mph) wind gust at Mount Read
• 124 km/h (77.1 mph) wind gust at Swan Hill

Destructive winds continued into the morning of September 2, with gusts at Swan Hill reaching 124 km/h (77.1 mph) at 01:26 LT and again at 08:26 LT.

The immediate threat of damaging winds subsided for most of Tasmania by the afternoon of September 2, except for the highland areas.

Power outages affected over 10 000 properties across the state. The airport in Launceston, Tasmania’s second-largest city, was forced to rely on generators for electricity but continued to operate flights despite the severe conditions.

The State Emergency Service (SES) in Tasmania received over 300 calls for help in the 24 hours leading up to the morning of September 2 as the strong winds wreaked havoc across the island.

Tasmania also experienced significant flooding and snowfall. The western part of the state received 200 – 300 mm (7.9 – 11.8 inches) of rainfall over the last week, with another 40 – 60 mm (1.6 – 2.4 inches) recorded on September 1. The heavy rainfall led to major flooding across several rivers, including the Derwent River, Macquarie River, Meander River, Mersey River, North Esk River, and South Esk River.

The Meadowbank Dam, operated by Hydro Tasmania, exceeded the major flood level on the morning of September 2, raising concerns about a potential spill that could exacerbate the flooding downstream.

“We continue to encourage people to leave the area. Houses will become inundated and there are going to be a lot of houses in those rural communities that are going to become isolated over the next 24 to 40 hours,” he said.

Lake Augusta also saw major flooding and spilling on September 1 and September 2, with river and dam levels expected to rise further as rain continued to fall on September 2.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted record levels just below Meadowbank Dam, with the River Derwent at Macquarie Plains likely to peak near the major flood level of 6.70 m (21.98 feet) around the evening of September 2.

As the severe weather unfolded, large snowfalls were also reported across Tasmania, with some areas, such as Mount Mawson, seeing as much as 80 cm (31.5 inches) of snow cover. The snow coverage increased further on September 2 as more snow fell overnight, with locals noting the significant accumulation.

The cold front that caused the initial severe weather was expected to pass by the evening of September 2, bringing temporary relief. However, another 100 – 200 mm (3.9 – 7.9 inches) of rain was forecast for parts of western Tasmania over the next week, while the east could see 40 – 80 mm (1.6 – 3.1 inches).

The Bureau of Meteorology also predicted that while winds would ease later on September 3, another couple of bursts of damaging winds could impact the state from mid to late in the week.

The Tasmanian State Emergency Service (SES) and the Bureau of Meteorology urged residents to remain vigilant and prepared for further severe weather.

“We’ve had in excess of 8 m (26.2 feet) waves recorded at Cape Bridgewater, which is just near Portland, and we’re seeing 6 m (19.7 feet) waves pushing close to the Bass Coast as well; and they’ll be with us probably for 12 hours before,” stated Senior Meteorologist Kevin Park.

References:

¹ Category-four cyclone strength winds and flooding impacts Tas – Weatherzone – September 2, 2024

² Destructive winds, huge waves wreak havoc in Victoria –Weatherzone – September 2, 2024

³ Hundreds of thousands of homes left without power as wild storms and winds spark chaos across Victoria – Sky News – September 2, 2024

⁴ Evacuations ordered amid flood threat in Australia’s Tasmania – Xinhua -September 2, 2024

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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