A peak-hour downpour has flooded inner city streets in Melbourne, leaving drivers trapped in floodwaters and sending gobsmacked onlookers to Twitter in droves. I mean, look at this shit!
Check out this video sent in to @9NewsMelb of flooding on Flinders Street! This downpour has been biblical #VicFloods #melbweather pic.twitter.com/rbBSmHLOxQ
— Tom Kelly (@tpwkelly) December 14, 2018
I’m pretty sure those aren’t meant to be doing that.
According to the BOM, up to 40 millimetres of rain could dump itself onto the city before 8pm tonight. Meanwhile, trains on the Alamein, Belgrave, Glen Waverley, Lilydale and Sandringham lines have stopped, with bus replacements on their way but expected to take over an hour.
Parts of Punt Road and Swanston Street in the CBD are flooded, and apparently the Richmond police station’s ceiling has caved in under the weather.
Punt Road is a now a lake, so definitely one to avoid with flooding after the heavy rains 🌧#PuntRoad #MelbourneStorm pic.twitter.com/i1X8O9J8y2
— Linda Booth (@LindaDBooth) December 14, 2018
Flash flooding in Victoria Avenue #albertpark #melbourneweather #Melbourne #flashflood #Melbournestorm pic.twitter.com/EpGdVpS7KN
— James Meldrum (@_JamesMeldrum) December 14, 2018
Fortunately we’ve got the mighty citizens of the internet to document the whole thing for us, including this hell-vortex bubbling to the surface of Bourke St:
Oh Melbourne, full of surprises!
Cnr Flinders and Bourke St, trams at a standstill. #summerstorm #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/yCJGwcJCzb— Jane Martin (@janemartinFHA) December 14, 2018
This chilling footage of the storm knocking out the 9 News city camera like a gas station-robbing thug:
Skycam down! Big storm just came through and briefly knocked out our city camera. @9NewsMelb 🌩️ pic.twitter.com/6aVVzkERUK
— Julian Price (@julianprice_) December 14, 2018
And this scene, which appears to depict a Coles that’s been teleported directly into the shallows of the nearest beach:
https://twitter.com/lexlomax/status/1073464636664471553
Obviously we’ve also got people cheerfully driving through floodwaters and then acting surprised when their cars stop working:
Like I said, not a rain event in Melbourne unless some knobs get caught under the Dudley st underpass. #melbweather pic.twitter.com/WoUFQHvBfb
— 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 (@MrDTJames) December 14, 2018
A Porsche driver’s worst nightmare #melbweather @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/I3bCa1nYcF
— Dougal Beatty (@DougalBeatty) December 14, 2018
Don’t forget your jacket!
(Old mate falls victim to the notorious Dudley Street underpass and Melbourne’s torrential downpour)… also don’t drive through floodwater! @9NewsMelb @9NewsAUS #melbweather #vicfloods pic.twitter.com/hLGbTlgttq— Tom Kelly (@tpwkelly) December 14, 2018
Basically this shit is just getting ridiculous now.
If there was ever any doubt that #melbweather has a sense of humour, it’s been erased by the fact that after being dry all afternoon, the thunder, lightning and pouring rain have started at precisely 5:05pm on a Friday
— Elise Thomas (@elisethoma5) December 14, 2018
Maybe I won’t use that entrance into Flinders St station #melbweather #melbstorm #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/ukWXNMlaGu
— Joanna Holman (@joannamuses) December 14, 2018
And if you were hoping for a bit of respite over the weekend, think again. According to forecasts, it’s going to pick up again on Saturday evening – great news for those Christmas parties you were planning on attending!
In all seriousness, stay safe, Melbourne mates. Keep under cover, avoid stairs that have turned into waterfalls, and for god’s sake, don’t drive through floodwaters. And maybe pick up a pair of flood pants while you’re at it. They’re supposed to work.