Winter storm floods Melbourne streets; hit-and-run; shoppers startled by knife scare | 7NEWS

Good evening.Melbourne is being lashed by wild winter weather as we go to air tonight, with severe weather warnings for damaging winds and dangerous conditions around the bay.City roads have been flooded, causing significant traffic problems on the commute home, as the Alpine regions welcome the wintry blast.Blake Johnson begins tonight's coverage.

Rolling in like these waves at Point Lonsdale, our first hit of winter brought rain and wind gusts of almost 80 kilometres an hour.The city recording 13 millimetres, 27 in Ballarat.Oh wow!This van driver pushing his Toyota's amphibious skills to the limit.

I like it!Were you scared?

A little bit.Forecasters warned we could get half a month of rain today.

We have so many layers of clothes.

We needed them.The feels like temperature below 10 all morning.It doesn't look like it's getting any better.I'd rather be at the snow at the moment, but this is all I got, so we'll deal with this.Speaking of the snow, 15 centimetres at Mount Hotham, another 15 on the way.Minus three degrees.

Perfect conditions for layers of white.Mount Buller snow, even thicker.

I'm sorry to everyone in Melbourne, but we are dancing up here 25 centimetres of fresh snow today.

Ski season starts this weekend.The worst of the weather bypassed the city, moving west of it.but it didn't bypass Warrnambool on its way through, whipping up the shoreline.The ocean, angry.Jelly Brand River, bursting its banks.Dudley Street in West Melbourne at midday was underwater by half past five.

It's very windy and it's very cold and the weather is crazy.

So crazy, Ponyfish Island is flooded.If you're thinking about coming down southdon't.We are currently underwater.Blake Johnson, Seven News.

In South Melbourne, the SES has been called in to rescue drivers stranded in the flash flooding.Phoebe Worthley there facing a busy night ahead.

Well, good evening.A rescue operation is underway after this driver rolled the dice on fast moving floodwaters in South Melbourne.Some drivers chose to turn around, others made it through, but not all.The water cleared half a metre on the gauge, but disappeared as quickly as it arrived.There's flooding on a number of streets across Melbourne tonight, including Gladstone Street, just a few blocks away from this scene.And on the other side of the city, Dudley Street also went under, causing even more traffic chaos during the evening commute.

SES crews are urging drivers don't take the risk and wait for the water to subside.

Phoebe Worthley in South Melbourne.Meteorologist Jane Barnum joins us now.And Jane, the big question is, when will it end?

Well, Mitch, it arrived later than expected, but when it did, we certainly knew about it.And there's more to come tonight.We've had up to 25 millimetres of rain so far, the most in Viewbank.The final bullseye is likely to be Bayside suburbs.That's the spot with a potential for 30, 40, 50, possibly 50 millimetres.This has an impact.

The SES has had more than 100 call -outs so far.The most have been for Trees Down, and the busiest units have been around Ballarat and Warrnambool.An air of rain did set back over to our west when the rain was meant to begin in Melbourne, finally moving eastwards, hitting the city mid -afternoon.It has ease now in the west, but eastern suburbs are seeing the brunt of it.It'll only slowly ease in the east overnight.It's windy too.

in these suburbs around the bay, at risk of damaging gusts over the next few hours.Things are looking up as we head through the long weekend.I'll have full details after the sports pitch.

A manhunt is underway across Melbourne tonight for a cowardly driver accused of striking a 70 -year -old woman and leaving her for dead.The wanted man got out of his car to check on the victim, but as security pictures show, he took off as kind -hearted witnesses rushed to help.

This is shocking enough, but it's what happened next that's particularly cruel.

It's terrible, abhorrent behaviour.

The 70 -year -old woman was leaving her local post office in Brunswick West.She checks repeatedly for oncoming traffic, but still steps out.Impossible for the driver of this black rental car to stop.He and his passenger pull over, racing to check on her.Witnesses say she looked unconscious.An off -duty nurse rushes to start first aid, as others join the fight for her life.

Next thing I see is just like police cars like at every angle coming.She was just on the ground like.Not really moving at all.

Before paramedics or police arrive, the car takes off, with the passenger now behind the wheel.Minutes later, the driver makes a call, then also disappears, casually walking away.

Police are currently searching for that vehicle.

The word I would use to describe that is probably a coward.It's pretty bad.Generally, people drive very fast here.and it can happen any time.

This busy intersection is made even more dangerous by the weather.The driver was last seen travelling down this road behind me.Detectives now calling for them to hand themselves in.

My advice to that person ispresent yourself to the nearest police station.

The victim is in hospital, her injuries critical.Jacqueline Stanley, Seven News.

A knife -wielding man has startled shoppers in Forest Hill.Pacing around the centre just before midday, shoppers locked themselves in stores as police moved in and arrested the 30 -year -old.

I'm scared.Yeah, that knife.

The Box Hill man was taken to hospital for assessment and is expected to be interviewed.Six people have faced court charged over a grisly crime that shocked Melbourne.The son of a Mongols bikey was dragged from his bed, murdered and dumped at a playground in Tarneit.And four of the suspects are children.

19 days after Patrick Longordo was killed and dumped next to a Taneet playground, his alleged killers are now behind bars.Homicide detectives swooped on multiple suburbs in Melbourne's west early yesterday morning, cuffing and arresting six males, four are teenage boys.The son of former Mongols' bikey boss Joseph Longordo was ambushed and slashed with machetes inside the factory.family's South Morang home in the early hours of May 15.Police say he was then dragged outside and into a waiting car.His lifeless body, discovered hours later, dumped 60 kilometres away in a suburban park, sparking a major homicide investigation across Melbourne's north -east and west.

The car used to kidnap the 30 -year -old was found partially torched in Ainsbury.The 23 -year -old man has been charged with Longordo's murder and remand.in custody.So too, four 17 -year -olds, three of whom will spend their very first night at Parkville's Youth Justice Centre, before they all return to court in October.18 -year -old Lee Kalia, who was charged with assisting the accused killers as well as torching the getaway car, will apply for bail tomorrow.Jordie Wright, 7 News.