Hail stones the size of tennis balls have fallen in areas outside of Melbourne but the city has been spared from wild storms that smashed parts of the state, the weather bureau says.

The Bureau of Meteorology has recorded hail as large as 2.5 centimetres falling near the town of Marysville, northeast of Melbourne.

More of this? Oaks Day at Flemington became 'Soaks Day'. Credit:Justin McManus

"It could have been hail as big as tennis balls, according to the radar, but we don't know if they actually hit the town," BOM senior forecaster Scott Williams said.