Hundreds of trees have been brought down and more than 29,000 homes were without power overnight as strong winds and heavy rain lash Victoria.

The SES had taken 700 requests for help by Monday morning, with the majority coming after a heavy front moved across Melbourne from the west in the afternoon.

“There’s been over 700 callouts as of Monday morning and there’s currently more than 8000 houses without power,” a State Emergency Service (SES) spokesperson told The New Daily.

Ballarat and Bellarine Peninsula, particularly around Ocean Grove, copped the worst of it, with 175 calls for help still active in Ballarat on Sunday night, as wind gusted up to 120 km/h in alpine areas.

Many areas west of Melbourne received 50mm to 80mm overnight, while the most rain fell in Dudidwarrah, west of Geelong, which received 99mm.

Melton South has been the worst hit Melbourne suburb, recording 227mm of rain since 9am Sunday.

Severe weather warnings remain in place on Monday, with damaging winds, heavy rain and potential flash flooding expected to continue into the afternoon, according the Bureau of Meteorology.

An SES spokesman said the majority of calls were for trees down, and trees down across roads.

Energy provider Powercor reported 14,055 homes without power at 8.30pm on Sunday, while AusNet had 170 customers disconnected.

A run of warm days over the past week ended abruptly overnight as a deep, low-pressure system reached the state’s southwest on Sunday morning.

Highest totals in the #Melbourne area recorded across western & northern suburbs. Rain easing this morning https://t.co/IZ4Tjyll1h pic.twitter.com/cRXwfAyxic

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) April 9, 2017

“Heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding is forecast to develop about West and South Gippsland during Monday morning, extending into East Gippsland by early afternoon,” the Bureau said on Sunday afternoon.

A severe weather warning is in place for Victoria’s central and southwest, and the flood risk is expected to contract to the state’s east, particularly in East Gippsland.

Damaging winds are also expected to develop in the Alpine areas of the Northeast, West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland districts, with gusts averaging 50 to 60 km/h and peak gusts to 100km/h this morning.

They are predicted ease during the late afternoon and evening, BoM reported.

The SES recommended people move vehicles under cover or away from trees, secure or put away loose items around houses, yards and balconies and keep clear of fallen power lines.