Instead of flowers and chocolate, Tasmanians woke to the sound of rain, thunder, and howling wind this Valentine’s Day.
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The Bureau of Meteorology released a severe weather warning for the state, which said “potentially damaging winds” averaging 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts of 110km/h were to be expected throughout the day.
Isolated thunderstorms also hit the state throughout the day, treating those watching to a light show.
State Emergency Services Northern region duty officer Gerald Van Rongen said most incidents it responded to were in the Launceston area.
“[As of 4.40pm], we’ve responded to 33 requests so far,” he said.
“The bulk have been in Launceston and Launceston suburbs, but we’ve also had some isolated incidents in places such as Perth and Legana.
“The most frequent incident we’ve responded to has been trees over driveways and up against houses.
“The second would be roof damage,” he said. “We’ve responded to five damaged roofs.”
City of Launceston responded to about 70 customer service requests, with the majority relating to downed trees on roads and in parks and reserves in the municipality.
One incident saw a tree destroyed in Prince’s Square.
Unfortunately, many homes were left without power, with TasNetworks confirming at 10:19am more than 10,000 people were impacted in the North-West with more throughout the North, South, and central areas of the state.
Tasmania Police acting inspector Steve Jones urged motorists to drive to the conditions.
“When driving a motor vehicle, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and the safety of the people around you,” he said.
“Be aware of your surroundings and adapt your driving to suit those conditions.”
Emergency services responded to minor incidents in the South on the Southern Outlet, Tasman Bridge, and at Warrane, and a three-vehicle crash in Hobart.
Incidents in the North-West were also responded to with a number of reports of fallen trees on roads in Devonport and at Latrobe, and traffic lights out in Devonport.
February 15 was expected to be 23 degrees and cloudy, with a medium chance of showers in the afternoon.