Destructive winds and severe weather are battering Tasmania’s north and north-west, leaving thousands without power and authorities scrambling to clear fallen trees and damaged infrastructure.
Wind gusts exceeding 100km/h have torn through coastal communities since early this morning, with the weather bureau warning conditions may worsen before they improve.
Emergency services are responding to multiple incidents in Burnie, including a partially collapsed wall at the old Bells building on the corner of Pine Avenue and Mount Street.
Firefighters were seen inspecting a large hole where part of the building wall had fallen out onto the street below.
Several roads have been blocked by fallen trees, including Mount Street, Massey Green Drive, Three Mile Line Road and Sheffield Road near Barrington.
At Legana, a snapped power pole has caused extensive local power interruptions, with around 20,000 properties now without electricity across the state.
TasNetworks say given the extent of damage and “continuing severe weather”, some customers “could be without power for the next 72 hours”.
Large scale power outages have impacted many areas of the state, with 7,097 properties form Burnie to Wynyard without electricity.
2,851 properties in the Devonport area are without power, along with 1,135 properties in the Scottsdale area and 1,992 properties around St Helens.
Other affected areas include Wynyard and Somerset in the north-west and Campania, Colebrook and Bothwell in the south.
The Ochre Health medical centre in St Helens said the power outage had affected their clinic’s ability to serve patients.
“We are running our practice via paperwork and have no access to patient records/results on the computer,” they said.
Derwent Ferry services in Hobart have been suspended for Friday afternoon, while Hydro Tasmania is asking people to “stay well clear” of waterways and lakes.
“Due to recent heavy rains, water levels in Hydro Tasmania dams and waterways are currently very high,” Hydro said. “… Water conditions are highly likely to change suddenly, creating potentially hazardous conditions.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded wind gusts of 122km/h at Cape Grim and 102km/h at both Devonport Airport and Wynyard.
A severe weather warning remains in place, with damaging winds averaging 65 to 75km/h and peak gusts around 120km/h likely throughout Friday.
Qantas has cancelled flights out of Devonport and Burnie airports all day, with only the early morning service from Devonport to Melbourne taking off.
“Destructive wind gusts above 125km/h are a small risk with shower and thunderstorm activity in the early morning,” the weather bureau advised.
“For northern Tasmania and the Furneaux Islands, damaging winds averaging 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts around 110km/h are likely about the northwest coast around sunrise, extending eastwards during the day.”
“For the remainder including Hobart and Launceston, damaging winds averaging 55 to 65km/h with peak gusts around 100km/h are likely from around sunrise.”
“For elevated and exposed areas, damaging winds may average 70 to 80km/h with peak gusts around 120km/h.”
The cold front is also bringing showers statewide, with possible small hail, thunderstorms, and snow expected to fall to around 800 metres in southern areas by evening.
Winds are expected to ease below warning thresholds by Friday evening, with conditions gradually improving over the weekend.
