A tornado that lasted less time than it takes to boil a kettle has ripped roofs from houses and sent trampolines flying in the Victorian town of Horsham.
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In a preliminary investigation of the "freak" weather event, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed a short-lived, albeit fierce tornado ripped through the town's north just before 1am on Monday.
Meteorologist Diana Eadie said the damage was consistent with an "EF1", also known as a "weak" tornado despite registering winds of 138 to 177km/h.
"The entire event is likely to have occurred in less time than it takes to boil a kettle so around about a minute or so," she said on Monday.
"It was not associated with a thunderstorm. It was associated with a very intense shower, with a cold, windy and unstable air mass moving across the area."
Victoria's State Emergency Service has fielded 97 calls for help in the area, with 76 for building damage.
"That's seen roofs ripped off," chief officer of operations Tim Wiebusch said.
"Trampolines have ended up yards away from where they were originally in people's backyards.
"We've seen trees down and even some crop damage."
It's a timely reminder that "freak events" can impact any part of Victoria when conditions are right, Mr Wiebusch says.
In another incident, two people were trapped inside their home at Perkins Court when a neighbour's roof blocked their door.
Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said five homes were now uninhabitable.
"I know that it was a terrifying experience," she told reporters.
"We've got supports from local government, CFA and SES up there to assist them in any way that those communities need."
Australia experiences about 60 tornadoes on average each year, but only one or two touches down in Victoria.
However, Ms Eadie said the advent of smartphones and social media was providing more evidence of the funnel-shaped vortexes, which have more frequently hit townships in 2020.
"Whilst we often see tornadoes in more remote areas, this year we've seen them impacting more populated areas," she said.
"As a result, we've seen more damage across Victoria as a result of tornadoes."
Over the 24 hours to 10am, the SES was called to 214 jobs in Victoria as wind gusts of up to 110km/h were recorded over alpine areas and along the coast.
Winds across the state have eased below warning thresholds on Monday, although unseasonably cold conditions remain.
Ms Eadie said temperatures were six to 12C below average for this time of year, with reports of snow falling in the alps.
Australian Associated Press
