Melbourne hit by flash flooding

Melbourne hit by flash flooding : MELBOURNE has been drenched by a short burst of heavy rain, with Melbourne Airport one of the hardest hit, receiving 30mm in just 30 minutes on the first day of summer. The Bureau of Meteorology issued flash warnings for Melbourne's outer suburbs as the storm passed from the east through to the northwest and then headed for Geelong, southwest of the city.

Senior forecaster Phil King said the CBD escaped most of the rain, with just 4mm falling between 3.30pm and 4.30pm (AEDT). "Given that it is peak time for people going home from work, and it's meeting our criteria for flash flooding, there will be substantial problems with that rain," Mr King told AAP.

The State Emergency Service (SES) said it had received more than 80 calls for help from the outer eastern suburbs of Croydon and Lilydale.

SES spokeswoman Jilly Charlwood said it received 65 calls from Croydon households and 18 from Lilydale, mostly from people seeking help after flash flooding of homes.

"We're advising people heading home to take care and if they see a flooded road, they should turn around rather than try to drive through it," Ms Charlwood said.

Rainwater flowed through the Croydon police station just before 3pm forcing the station to close and officers to shift to neighbouring Ringwood. About 50mm of water covered the floor of the station. The SES was still mopping up late on Wednesday afternoon.

Victoria is set to record its wettest year in almost two decades.

Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Harvey Stern said the outlook was for close to normal rainfall in central parts of Victoria over summer.

"Notwithstanding it'll start off pretty wet and humid, as what we have at the moment, and the temperatures will be above normal," Dr Stern said of the summer forecast.

He said the state could expect maximum temperatures to average about 26C or 27C over summer, about one or two degrees above normal.

The above-average rainfall has delivered the biggest spring boost in seven years for Melbourne's dams.

Melbourne Water said storage levels had increased by a net 10.5 per cent of capacity - or 189 billion litres - to 52 per cent, the highest point for 2010. The major catchment areas had an average 373mm of rain over spring and the dams are at their highest levels since 2005.

Heavy rain at the end of November pushed Melbourne's rainfall for 2010 above the long-term average (of 647.7mm) for the first time in 13 years. Victoria's rainfall total has passed the 700mm level and the bureau predicts 2010 will be the state's wettest year since 1992 - when it recorded 850mm - but short of the 1973 record of 925mm.