Wild weather has hit Australia with storms in Melbourne and a tropical cyclone in Northern Territory. Melbourne is facing a major cleanup of damage from severe thunderstorms. The storm swept through the city and country areas of Victoria on Sunday, flooding roads and bringing hail that damaged buildings and smashed windows. Tropical Cyclone Grant intensified into a category two storm on Sunday, bringing winds of 130 km/h and torrential rain to Northern Territory coast communties. Police at remote Croker Island, north east of Darwin, told the ABC the community had escaped serious damage as the cyclone came within kilometres of the island. Power lines and trees were brought down there was no structural damage to buildings, police said. The storm was moving south across the Cobourg Peninsula.
Large hailstones, very heavy rainfall, flash flooding and damaging winds have been warned for Sunday overnight in places including Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin and Cobar. The warning was issued for the Riverina, Lower Western, Snowy Mountains and parts of the Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Central West Slopes and Plains, South West Slopes and Upper Western Forecast Districts.
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