Hamilton received half of its monthly average rainfall in two hours on Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed the region, with SES units receiving 20 calls for help.
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Almost 40 millimetres of rain fell at Hamilton between 6.30am and 3pm, with 29mm falling before 9am.
The average rainfall in Hamilton for June over the past 40 years is 66mm. In June 2022 almost 80mm fell in the town.
Vic Emergency issued a flash flooding warning on Wednesday morning for Halls Gap, urging residents to stay indoors.
An SES spokesman said the Hamilton SES unit received 10 requests for assistance, including eight flood-related incidents and two trees down.
He said the Balmoral SES unit received five calls, one of which was for building damage, two fallen trees, and two flood-related incidents.
There was one call at Heywood for a fallen tree, two separate calls for a flood-related incident and building damage at Koroit and a flood-related incident at Warrnambool.
There was also a tree down in the Otway region.
Meanwhile, Port Fairy had 28mm of rain up to 3pm, with 10mm of that falling between 7.30am and 9am.
Port Fairy SES unit controller Steve McDowell said it responded to the two Koroit jobs which included a leaking roof in Church Street and a leaking skylight in North Street.
Mr McDowell said SES volunteers conducted temporary repairs at both homes and covered the leaking skylight with plastic to keep the water out.
Warrnambool received 24mm of rain up to 3pm, with 6.8mm falling between 7am and 9am.
Mortlake recorded a rainfall of 14mm to 3pm.
Mr McDowell said he expected more calls Wednesday afternoon and evening once residents returned home from work to find flood damage.
He said volunteers would continue to monitor river and stream water rises across the shire.
"We'll monitor the river gauges but we're not expecting anything significant at this point, but that depends on whether we get more rain as the day goes on," Mr McDowell said.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned south-west residents late Tuesday of potential flash flooding with heavy rainfall forecast for Wednesday morning.
The SES spokesman said trees that were already compromised after sitting in wet ground could be "eased out of their position" in windy conditions and fall onto cars. He advised residents to not park under trees during adverse weather.
"If it's safe to do so clear your gutters so you can disperse that floodwater. a lot of the time we get calls for blocked gutters which have been overcome," he said.
"If you must travel set up a watch zone on the Vic Emergency app this will giver you details of any obstructions on your route of travel or any warnings."
The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
- If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low-lying areas and floodwater. Avoid travel if possible.
- Stay safe by avoiding dangerous hazards, such as floodwater, mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen trees.
- Be aware - heat, fire or recent storms may make trees unstable and more likely to fall when it's windy or wet.
- Check that loose items, such as outdoor settings, umbrellas and trampolines are safely secured. Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
- Stay indoors and away from windows.
- If outdoors, move to a safe place indoors. Stay away from trees, drains, gutters, creeks and waterways.
- Stay away from fallen powerlines - always assume they are live.
- Be aware that in fire affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks. Heavy rainfall may also increase the potential for landslides and debris across roads.
- Stay informed: Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.
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