Storms have swept through western Victoria causing widespread power outages, with Geelong among the hardest hit areas.

Almost 3000 customers were cut off from the grid on Friday evening, including 1800 customers in Geelong.

Earlier on Friday, Powercor crews restored power to about 2000 customers in the Wimmera, as storms hit the west of the state.

Most outages are expected to be rectified by 11.30pm Friday.

"We thank customers for their patience as our crews work to restore power as safely and as quickly as possible," said spokesman Jordan Oliver.

The Bureau of Meteorology released a severe thunderstorm warning for the Mallee, South West and Wimmera districts just after 6pm, with forecasts of damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall.

Towns that could be affected include Mildura, Ouyen, Walpeup, Horsham, Stawell, Warracknabeal, Hamilton, Warrnambool and Ararat.

The forecasted wild weather at Mildura comes as Victorians rush across the border from NSW ahead of a closure at 11.59pm on Friday.

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