Fierce winds uprooted trees and tore a roof off a building on a day of extreme weather in Melbourne, as the city baked through its equal-hottest November day this century, before thunderstorms wreaked havoc across the suburbs.

It was the one-two punch of strong northerly winds and hot temperatures early in the day, as gusts of more than 100 km/h kicked up dust and pollen while the city sweltered to a top of 40.9 degrees at 2pm – matching a November 1894 record.

An afternoon cool change swept through the city soon after. The resulting thunderstorms damaged buildings and pushed over trees, causing power outages and commuter chaos.

A tree on a car in Munster Terrace, North Melbourne. Credit:Demi Wright

Melburnians woke to a day that was already a scorcher after tossing and turning through one of the hottest nights in more than a century. The overnight low, 26.7 degrees, was the highest for November since 1901.