Don’t go in the water, Environment Protection Authority warns

Don't go swimming at Melbourne's beaches today – it could make you sick.

It's best to keep out of the water at Melbourne's beaches. 

That's the message from the authorities, who are urging people to steer well clear of every Port Phillip beach as the bacteria-filled runoff from the weekend's storms pours into the bay.

Indeed it may not be safe to swim tomorrow or right through the weekend.

The Environment Protection Authority is doing water-quality testing on Tuesday, which will determine how bad things are in the bay and how long people should avoid the water.

Read Liam Mannix’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Don’t go in the water, Environment Protection Authority warns.”

Melbourne weather: Storm shouldn't have been called a '10/10' says Craig Lapsley

The weather bureau has been criticised in the wake of this weekend's storms, with Victoria's emergency chief saying it has to revise the way it describes extreme events.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig
 Lapsley at the State Control Centre on Sunday. 

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said on Monday the Bureau of Meteorology should not have forecast the storm as a ’10'.

"I'm not saying the bureau has got it wrong, but '10 out of 10' ... was overused," Mr Lapsley told ABC radio.

"I think that set a bar that was right up there.”

The bureau has defended its forecast but said the language used would be reviewed when the weather event was over.

Read Chloe Booker’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Melbourne weather: Storm shouldn't have been called a '10/10' says Craig Lapsley."