Wild winds wedge cruise ship against pier

A cruise ship became wedged against a Melbourne pier as strong winds battered Victoria overnight.

The Astor cruise ship was blown on to the edge of Station Pier at St Kilda, Melbourne, during the wild weather.

Tug boats had to help pull the large vessel free. 

The damaging winds of up to 100km/h triggered a severe weather warning for Melbourne's eastern suburbs and elevated areas including the Yarra Ranges, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

Trees were brought down across Victoria, with one falling at Ripponlea station causing train services to be cancelled.

The State Emergency Services received more than 250 calls for help yesterday, with the winds blowing down 213 trees and leaving dozens of homes damaged.

The severe weather is expected to ease today, with the SES advising people to secure loose items, move vehicles away from trees and stay away from any downed power lines.

The BoM forecasts winds east to southeasterly of 25 to 40km/h for Melbourne this morning, moving south to southeasterly 25 to 35km/h late today. 

With AAP.