Major delays on trains Connex has warned of major delays on all 15 lines in its network. Trains were running express through Blackburn after the station’s subway filled with water, a Connex spokeswoman said. Buses have replaced trains on the Alamein line and there are delays up to one hour on the Glen Waverley line. A train was earlier struck by lightning at Sunshine. The shaken driver was hospitalised after the incident.

Maintenance crews are scrambling to fix the damage but commuters are warned to brace for long delays during the peak travel period. "We’ve been told another storm on its way so we’re preparing ourselves," spokeswoman Laney Harris said. Buses earlier replaced trains between Box Hill and Ringwood after a tree fell over the track at Laburmum. A number of boom gates were also stuck down across the network due to an automatic failsafe triggered after equipment failure. The Connex spokeswoman warned the boom gates would have a flow-on effect on traffic.

"This has been a massive knock to the network and we’re working hard to recover," she said. Trams struck by lightning Two trams were struck by lightning in the city's east this afternoon. It was not known how many passengers were on board but both routes are used by students at that time of the day. Yarra Trams said no-one was injured in the incidents, which occurred on Wattletree and Malvern roads.

All tram routes were running late due to heavy traffic caused by the storms, Yarra Trams said. V/Line's 1.15pm service to Bendigo was stopped by a fallen tree between Woodend and Sunbury. Crews were working to clear the line, a V/Line spokesman said. Motorists have been warned to take care with traffic lights out or flashing across the state. Girl injured in storm Ambulance Victoria said a 17-year-old girl had reported being struck about 3.30pm at Rowville.

The girl was having difficulty moving her legs and was taken to the Monash Medical Centre in a stable condition, an ambulance spokeswoman said. The State Emergency Service was inundated with calls for assistance from around the state. At 2.45pm, an SES spokesperson said: "We have received some 33 calls within the last half an hour, predominantly coming in from the Bendigo and Shepparton areas". Most calls were reporting cases of either property damage or flooding, including a tree crashing through a house roof in outer-northeastern Eltham and flooded home in eastern suburban Blackburn. Calls were also coming in from Melbourne’s outer eastern and western suburbs, the spokesperson said.

Greensborough Plaza shopping centre, in Melbourne’s outer northeast, has been flooded in a downpour and Metropolitan Fire Brigade crews trying to pump out a ‘‘large amount’’ of water, an MFB spokeswoman said. Fountain Gate shopping centre in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs was also evacuated. The clubrooms at Elgar Park in Mont Albert North collapsed at 3.25pm and an Age reader reported the roof blown off the Kew Hockey Club in Box Hill. A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said flights were grounded for about 45 minutes as the storm hit around 2pm. Numerous traffic lights also malfunctioned across the state.

Thousands lose power Thousands of people were left without electricity after storms swept through the state. In Northcote, Balwyn and North Balwyn, almost 4000 CitiPower customers lost power after lightning strikes caused disruptions to supply. All power has been restored in Northcote but crews were still working to return supply in other affected areas, a CitiPower/Powercor spokesman said. Powercor customers in St Albans, Kyabram and Shepparton also experienced blackouts during the storm.

Power had been restored to most of those homes, the spokesman said.

'Prepare for wild weather' The storm hit central Melbourne about 2.30pm after Victorians were warned to prepare for more wild weather with heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds across the state. Melbourne’s temperature hit 30 degrees before the forecast severe thunder storms and heavy rain arrived. A weather bureau spokesman said ‘‘temperatures will drop some seven to eight degrees during the storms, but will climb back up towards the high 20s once they have passed through’’. High winds came with the heavy rain.

"Winds are currently recorded as producing gusts of 50 km/h in the central Melbourne metropolitan area," the spokesman said. He warned winds could escalate as high as 70-80 km/h during the worst of the thunderstorms, with the potential to cause significant damage. A highly unstable weather pattern from the north is bringing fast-moving and damaging storms, the bureau said. "Due to the very humid and tropical conditions currently being experienced across the state, heavy rain fall could develop quickly, the main worry being that localised flash flooding could occur within the CBD this afternoon," a spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology said. More storms 'almost certain'

Conditions were "so unstable" that thunderstorms are almost certain to develop later this afternoon, he said. These storms are expected to produce localised rainfalls in excess of 50 millimetres across the city this afternoon. Last night, 30 millimetres of rain fell across the north-west of the state and resulted in extensive wind damage in the Mallee town of Woomelang, south of Ouyen. Loading The warm, unstable and very humid conditions look to have settled in for an extended stay.

"Temperatures aren't expected to increase greatly however the muggy, tropical conditions will be in effect until the humidity levels drop on either Saturday night or early Sunday morning," the spokesman said.

