Multiple cars have been swept out to sea at a holiday hotspot on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road after a sudden and intense thunderstorm dumped up to 170 millimetres in the area.

Pictures show vehicles washed away from the Wye River mouth, with residents warned of possible flash flooding as heavy rainfall lashed the state’s south-west.

Affected areas included Lorne, Wye River and Kennett River.

Evacuations were underway Thursday afternoon at caravan parks on rivers along the scenic tourist road, including Carlisle River, Kennett River and Cumberland River and the Lorne Foreshore caravan park.

People have been urged to find shelter, and the Great Ocean Road has been closed in both directions — from Skenes Creek Road, in Skenes Creek, to Hird Street, in Lorne — with only emergency services allowed to pass.

Social media footage shows several vehicles swept out to sea and being carried in raging currents.

A popular Big4 campground was reportedly inundated at Wye River.

The local Foodworks grocery store in Lorne was forced to shut its doors until further notice due to flash flooding, as it urged people to avoid the area.

The ABC said witnesses reported “running for their lives” as a wall of water came at them at Wye River.

One local resident told the ABC that it was “like a tsunami of water going out from the river”.

Tourist Michelle Mackenzie, who posted footage to social media, told The Age she was at the Wye River pub for lunch when the flooding became serious.

She described eskies and chairs being washed away as the pub became “chockers” with people evacuated from the local campgrounds.

An emergency warning was in place on Thursday afternoon for the Wye, Kennett and Cumberland Rivers in the Lorne area.

Thunderstorms dumped more than 170 millimetres of rain on the area on Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning at midday on Thursday for severe thunderstorms likely to produce heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding in the next several hours.

The Lorne Community House has thrown open its doors to anyone escaping the conditions who needs shelter.

The weather bureau had warned of intense rainfall around the Otways and possibly south Gippsland, in the state’s south-east, that could lead to flash flooding.

One of the highest reported rainfalls was 105.8 millimetres at Mount Cowley in the three hours to 1pm.

“Very dangerous thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy, locally intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the West and South Gippsland, central and south-west districts. Locations which may be affected include Yarram,” said the BOM’s 3pm warning.

“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the central and south-west districts. Locations which may be affected include Apollo Bay.”

The warnings also applied to East Gippsland and parts of Victoria’s north-east and Gippsland.

“Locations which may be affected include Bright, Falls Creek, Dargo, Buchan, Mount Hotham and Omeo,” the bureau said.

NSW storm warnings

There are also thunderstorm warnings for parts of NSW on Thursday afternoon.

The NSW SES said people in the Cooma, Bemboka, Nimmitabel and Numeralla areas, inland from the south coast, should stay inside due to the threat of heavy rainfall, destructive winds, large hailstones.

“The Bureau of Meteorology advises a warm, moist, unstable atmosphere and a surface trough is producing thunderstorms across the state today,” it said.

“Very dangerous thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging, locally destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the South Coast and Snowy Mountains districts.”

-with AAP