Wild Weather Hits Southern Australia: Fatality and Power Outages

Severe weather in southern Australia left a woman dead and over 120,000 people without power. High winds and heavy rains caused significant damage, particularly in Victoria and Tasmania. Emergency services responded to thousands of call outs, and weather warnings remain in place as dangerous conditions continue.

A woman has died, and more than 120,000 people were left without power after high winds and heavy rain hit southern Australia, authorities said on Monday.

A 63-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on a cabin at a holiday park near the Victoria-New South Wales border, according to emergency services. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan expressed her condolences to the woman's family and the emergency responders.

Victoria's State Emergency Services received over 2,800 calls overnight, mostly involving fallen trees and building damage, Allan indicated. At least 121,000 remained without power on Monday, down from a peak of 180,000.

Weather warnings remain active for much of the state's southeast coast, with winds reaching nearly 150 km/h (93 mph). A state advisory urged people to avoid coastal areas due to dangerous waves, unstable cliffs, and low-lying area flooding.

Tasmania also faced wild weather, leaving thousands without power on Sunday. Such extreme weather events are increasingly common for Australians.

The storms followed days of unusually high winter temperatures, nearing 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sydney.

(With inputs from agencies.)