Rain, wind, fire in one day in Victoria

Victoria has experienced drastic changes in weather, with extreme heat causing grassfires and storms dropping the temperature by 10 degrees in minutes.

A young girl runs through a fountain

Melbourne is in for warmer days at the start of the week with temperatures to reach 38 on Monday. (AAP)

Severe thunderstorms, high winds, grassfires and a steep drop in temperature have affected Victoria all in one day.

A family of two near Bendigo had to be relocated after a tree came down on their house following winds of more than 100 km/h in some parts of the state on Monday afternoon.

The SES received more than 350 calls for assistance since 4pm as the severe weather hit.

"There was a big spike in just a couple of hours," SES spokesman Marc Dorey told AAP.

A severe weather warning is in place for the east and north of the state as the storms move eastwards.

Apart from the wind, rain and thunder, Melbourne sweltered as the mercury rose to 35 degrees on Monday, then dropped abruptly.

"It fell around 10 degrees in 15 minutes," Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Stephen King said.

The hot weather also proved dangerous, with firefighters having to flee their truck while fighting a 320 hectare grass fire near Swan Hill.

The crew suffered smoke inhalation and dehydration and were taken to hospital, but their injuries were minor, Mildura CFA incident controller Trevor Roach said.

The fire is now under control, but crews will continue monitoring the area for any fire activity.

Sunday had the first total fire ban of the season issued for the Mallee region.

After a sizzling Monday, Melbourne should have cool to mild days for the rest of the week, with a top of 17C on Tuesday and 18C on Wednesday.

Tuesday will be wet, with rain persisting for most of the day, the bureau predicts.


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Source: AAP


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