Man and dog lucky to escape as dangerous floodwaters hit Victoria

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A man and his dog are lucky to be alive after driving through floodwaters in Victoria's north.

The man was driving along Tantalla Street, at Wedderburn, when he drove into floodwaters and was swept away at about 5.30pm yesterday.

The incident has prompted a warning from authorities not to drive through floodwaters, as the state experiences severe storms for the second time this summer.

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Police said emergency services quickly responded to the incident, finding the man and his dog on the roof of their submerged car, waiting to be rescued in the fast-rising floodwaters.

Police, the CFA and SES volunteers were able to rescue the pair by throwing the man a rope and pulling them to safety.

https://twitter.com/vicsesnews/status/1742330434024050872

The 60-year-old Wedderburn man was taken to hospital for observation and the dog wasn't injured.

The man's vehicle ended up fully submerged in the flood-affected area near Nardoo Creek

It comes after the state experience severe storms yesterday and overnight, with more rain on the way today.

The severe weather yesterday caused tens of thousands of people to lose power and affected multiple train lines, while the Hume Freeway was closed for several hours after a truck crash brought down a power line in the dangerous conditions.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted possible severe storms in metropolitan Melbourne today, and into the northern suburbs and eastern ranges into this evening.

There are flood warnings in place for the Loddon and Avoca rivers in north-central regional Victoria.

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VIC StormsMelbourne Floods

.The SES received 920 calls for help overnight after storms caused hundreds of trees to fall, flash flooding and building damage.

Residents across Victoria's west, including Bendigo, Maryborough, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Ballarat, Echuca, Bellarine Peninsula and greater Melbourne, were hit by torrential rains, large hail, and thunderstorms.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a Watch and Act warning for residents in Echuca, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Bright, Mansfield and Mt Buller, who were also hit by heavy rains and flooding.