UPDATE: STORMS and flash flooding have brought Victoria's dry spell to a thunderous halt.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for central Victoria, with heavy rain and storms forecast from Melbourne to Echuca.

Weather bureau duty forecaster Rod Dickson said the rain band would also bring relief to firefighters at the Harrietville blaze in the Alpine region.

"They haven't received much overnight but they're likely to see some shower and storm activity today," he said.

"If they get a thunderstorm, they could see 30mm to 40mm of rain because it's quite unstable and there's a lot of moisture in the air."

A State Control Centre spokesman said the Harrietville blaze was being controlled and fire activity had reduced significantly, but an advice warning still remained.

The state was drenched overnight after the temperature topped 30C on 14 days during a dry February.

Mr Dickson said Trentham received 55mm of rain in the 24 hours before 9am while 44mm fell in Ballarat, with showers still developing in regional areas including Shepparton and Bendigo.

"We've had reports of flash flooding in some metro areas this morning," he said.

The rain band is expected to move slightly eastwards before easing during the afternoon, although humid and unstable air could spur further rainfall and storm activity in the state's North East.

Mr Dickson said the Gippsland area – including the Aberfeldy fire – would miss out on much of the wild weather.

The State Emergency Service is advising that people stay indoors if possible, keep away from drains and creeks and avoid driving in flooded areas.

Mr Dickson said another trough and a cold front were forecast for tomorrow afternoon, bringing storms to the central and eastern regions with another 40mm of rainfall expected.

The heavy rain comes after one of Victoria's driest starts to the year on record.