Thousands left without power after wild storms sweep across Victoria

Hundreds of homes were left in the dark last night after a severe storm rolled through parts of Victoria.

Outages were reported across the state, with more than 200 still waiting to be restored this morning.

A short but severe hail storm hit the Geelong area, forcing people indoors and interrupting a wedding at The Pier Restaurant when the venue's roof was blown off.

Video obtained by 9NEWS showed large hail battering the Geelong area, with pubs forced to close patios as they were battered.

The storm was extremely quick, lasting only minutes, but packed a punch – with a roof ripped off a building, and trees being knocked down.

There have been reports of three to four centimetre hail, with squally winds and rain causing chaos through the city.

The storms also sent temperatures plummeting, Geelong dropping from 34 to 25 degrees in just half an hour.  

Severe thunderstorms also hit other parts of the state, including the Central and parts of the South West districts, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Melbourne largely escaped the downpour, with thunderstorms weakening before reaching the capital.