1 person killed as storms hit southeastern Australia

MELBOURNE — One woman died, schools were closed and tens of thousands of people were left without power on Monday as severe storms battered Australia.

Police said a 63-year-old woman died when a tree fell on a cottage in the southeastern part of the country.

“Devastating” winds of more than 110 kilometres per hour batter the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power.

Victorian state Premier Jacinta Allan warned it could take up to three days for the power cuts to clear.

“There are areas where conditions are still too dangerous to carry out repairs,” she added.

Meanwhile, coastal areas were hit by high tides, which in some cases engulfed sand dunes.

People were warned to avoid unnecessary travel and some schools were closed.

New South Wales authorities fear damaging winds will increase the fire threat on Monday, with many areas placed on the highest alert level.

New South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Inspector Ben Shepherd warned Sydney and surrounding areas that the fire danger would be greatest on Monday, but the situation was expected to improve in the afternoon.

Parts of Tasmania have been inundated due to flash flooding and devastating winds, which gusted to 150 kilometres per hour over the weekend.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Christie Johnson said a series of weather fronts passing across south-east Australia were causing “devastating winds”.

But conditions are expected to improve on Tuesday, she added.

Johnson warned that further cold fronts would hit the country later in the week, but she did not expect conditions to be this extreme.

Australia is a country particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to its location on the Pacific Ocean.