Golf ball-sized hailstones fell from the sky and dust storms blocked out the sun as extreme weather swept southern Australia over the weekend.

Shoppers were forced to leave a Woolworths store in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon after sections of the ceiling gave way in the wake of a storm that has battered the state of Victoria.

Locals reported hailstones up to 5cm in diameter in the suburb of Glen Iris, while areas in the region of East Gippsland and Victoria’s northeast were put on flood watch, according to ABC News.

Krystian Seibert, a resident of Hawthorn, Melbourne, told the local Herald Sun newspaper that the hail “sounded like a pinball machine”.

“I’ve lived in Melbourne for a long time and I’ve never seen or experienced something like this,” he told the newspaper.

Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Show all 8 1 /8 Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Smoke haze covers Sydney as wildfires burn near the city AAP Image/Reuters Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke The annual Australian fire season, which peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer, has started early after an unusually warm and dry winter AP Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background as a man takes a picture Getty Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Smoke haze covers Sydney, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, as wildfires burn near the city. The annual Australian fire season, which peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer, has started early after an unusually warm and dry winter. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) Rick Rycroft AP Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke Smoke from bushfires blanket Sydney on November 19, 2019. - Sydney woke up to a thick blanket of smoke as New South Wales warns residents of the dangers amid severe fire dangers and hot, windy weather. Bushfire-prone Australia has experienced a horrific start to its fire season, which scientists say is beginning earlier and becoming more extreme as a result of climate change, which is raising temperatures and sapping moisture from the environment. (Photo by PETER PARKS / AFP) (Photo by PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) PETER PARKS AFP via Getty Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 19: A man takes a picture at Mrs Macquarie's Chair in front of a smoke covered Sydney skyline on November 19, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. NSW remains under severe or very high fire danger warnings as more than 50 fires continue to burn across the state. Six lives and 530 homes have been lost since NSW bushfire season hit, with more than 420 homes destroyed in the past fortnight alone. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) Mark Kolbe Getty Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke epa08007129 The Sydney Opera House seen through smoke haze in Sydney, Australia, 19 November 2019. Sydney has awoken to a thick blanket of smoke as New South Wales residents are urged to 'stay vigilant' amid severe fire dangers and a hot, windy weather forecast. EPA/JOEL CARRETT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT JOEL CARRETT EPA Sydney covered in haze from bushfire smoke SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 19: Smoke shrouds the Sydney Opera House on November 19, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. NSW remains under severe or very high fire danger warnings as more than 50 fires continue to burn across the state. Six lives and 530 homes have been lost since NSW bushfire season hit, with more than 420 homes destroyed in the past fortnight alone. (Photo by Cassie Trotter/Getty Images) Cassie Trotter Getty

Outdoor shelters were battered by the hail and some vehicles were reportedly left with shattered windscreens.

Meanwhile residents posted videos of massive dust clouds descending on their homes in central New South Wales.

On Monday morning the state’s Bureau of Meterology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for “damaging winds, large hailstorms and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding”.

A severe weather warning for heavy rain was also issued for central and eastern parts of Victoria on Monday.

“We’re going to see some potentially flash flooding and severe thunderstorms over the next couple of days, including [in] some damaged fire areas,” Lisa Neville, Australia’s minister for police and emergency services, said.

The heavy hail was a sharp contrast to the extreme hot weather that has led to some of the worst bushfires in Australia’s history in recent months.

At least 28 people have been killed during the wildfire crisis, which has devastated large sections of the country.

More than 2,500 homes have been destroyed and a swathe of land almost one-third of the size of Germany has been burnt.

It is also estimated that one billion animals have died in the blazes.