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A Queensland woman has saved her four-month-old puppy from becoming a meal, after finding it in the stranglehold of a 2.5-metre carpet python.

The woman heard squeals of pain from her English staffy named Panda, and rushed outside to find the young dog in the grip of the large snake at her Sunshine Coast home.

Calling for help, she was assisted by a neighbour before calling snake catcher Stu McKenzie.

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"I was rocking up to a job myself when I got a call from the lady and she was proper frantic," Mr McKenzie said.

"She said 'I've got an emergency', and I thought someone had been bitten by a snake. I heard this squealing in the background and then she explained her dog was being strangled by a python."

Realising the dog would be dead before he could reach the house, Mr McKenzie calmed the woman, explaining that she and the man assisting her would have to detach the snake.

"I went into teaching mode and had to explain to them both how to get the snake off the dog without hurting it, the dog or themselves. It worked out pretty well," Mr McKenzie said.

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"The snake was biting down on the dog and that wasn't a big concern, the problem was the snake's body squeezing the life out of it. They had to get that pressure off the little pup."

Mr McKenzie told the pair via speakerphone to hold the puppy down and prise the snake off the dog, tail first, while slowly trying to release the snake's bite.

"You're trying not to hurt it, but they are quite strong. They did really well," he said.

"The snake would have started to struggle and then just let go and try to escape."

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Mr McKenzie said he's only attended two or three jobs like this in eight years of snake catching.

When he arrived at the house, Panda was alive and well. Mr McKenzie caught and relocated the python.

"It's pretty rare that we have to have that conversation over the phone," he said.

"The owner was obviously extremely relieved afterwards. It's lucky she was home and had her neighbour to help."

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Mr McKenzie added snake sightings had become increasingly common in the last few weeks, as Queensland entered its peak snake season.

"It is the busiest time of the year. They've just come out of breeding season, babies are hatching or being born, cruising around, eating as much as they can and wandering into backyards sometimes," Mr McKenzie said.

Those who do spot snakes in their homes are advised to remain calm and call a snake catcher.

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More severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are predicted to hit Victoria this afternoon and tomorrow after damaging storms were felt overnight.

Flash flooding occurred and as many as 4000 homes were left without power this morning due to heavy rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Diana Eadie said the risk of heavy rainfall across Victoria would continue for the rest of today and into tomorrow, particularly in the state's west, where large hail and damaging winds are likely.

"It was a very wet night and the risk of heavy falls will continue today and tomorrow," she said.

READ MORE: Bureau warns of 'life-threatening flash flooding'

"For today, the main area of concern is the west of the state.

"Tomorrow, heavier rainfall is much more likely over central Victoria."

The risk of heavy rainfall will also continue into the weekend for the east of the state, she said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the south and west of the state, including around Colac, Port Campbell, Horsham and Torquay,

Ms Eadie said the risk of heavy rainfall will continue into the weekend for the east of the state, while temperatures were expected to lower on the weekend.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1486582019979108354

However, she said the high humidity "was here to stay".

The SES has already responded to more than 350 requests for assistance across the state in the past 24 hours and State Agency Commander David Tucek said crews were expecting many more calls tomorrow.

He has urged Victorians to be prepared and to be vigilant and has warned people and drivers to stay out of floodwaters.

"It only takes 15cm of water to float a small car," he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued several weather warnings for "very dangerous thunderstorms" with intense rainfall that may lead to "life-threatening flash flooding" over northern and western Melbourne, and the southern Macedon Ranges, this morning.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1486424009340334087

As many as 4000 homes were plunged into darkness after the storms swept in from north-western parts of Victoria, triggering flash flooding in regions such as Kyneton.

Photos show local traders in the town trying to salvage their businesses, pushing floodwaters out of their shopfronts as streets fill with pools of water.

The Telstra exchange building in Kyneton has also flooded, but services in the area have not been impacted at this stage.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jackson Browne said 56mm of rainfall was recorded this morning in just an hour.

"That is rainfall typically you would expect once per century," he said.

"So just to give you an idea of how high-end some of these rainfall rates are.

"We've got very tropical air over Victoria and Melbourne included. We are seeing very slow-moving thunderstorms which is why we're warning for severe thunderstorms leading to heavy rainfall."

Ms Eadie said Mildura had experienced its wettest January day ever.

She said 69mm of rain had fallen in just two hours there, while more showers and storms were still headed for the area.

More than 100 SES calls have been made in Mildura in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, fire tore through one house in Bundoora, Melbourne's north-east, after lightning struck the property about 8am.

Three residents were forced to evacuate the home and two were taken to the Austin Hospital for further observation.

"Multiple Triple Zero calls were received to alert FRV to a house struck by lightning in Bundoora this morning," Fire Rescue Victoria said in a statement.

"Fire trucks arrived on scene to find the roof of the single-storey brick veneer home well-involved in fire and threatening an adjacent property.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus quickly established water hose lines to prevent spread to the adjoining property and contain the fire within the home."

About 40 per cent of the home suffered "significant damage" with specialist fire investigators confirming a lightning strike caused the blaze.

Arthurs Creek, a town 33km north-east of Melbourne, recorded 41.6mm of rain in an hour and 57.8mm in 2.5 hours.

Nearby, Coldstream recorded 37.2mm in an hour.

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The Department of Health also issued a heat health warning, as yesterday became the hottest Australia Day in 16 years, with the mercury climbing to 36 degrees in Melbourne.

Last night the temperature did not dip below about 25 degrees in the city.

In Sydney, it will be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 28C and in Canberra a top of 29C.

Perth is set to swelter through its continued heatwave, with a top of 39C.

There is a chance of a possible storm in Adelaide, with temperatures climbing to 31C.

In Brisbane, it will be partly cloudy with a top of 30C.

Showers and a possible storm are forecast for Darwin, with temperatures reaching 32C.

In Hobart, showers are set to clear and it will be 27C.

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Matt Dickinson was struggling to breathe when his mother rushed him to an Adelaide hospital earlier this month.

The 20-year-old has cystic fibrosis, which causes mucus to form in the lungs, and an infection had made him fall dangerously ill.

"His body was producing so much mucus that he couldn't keep up with clearing it," his mother, Cassandra Day, said.

READ MORE: 'Once per century' weather event smashes Victoria

"He told me, 'I feel like I'm drowning' and I've never heard him say that before.

"He said, 'I feel like I have water in my lungs. I can't breathe. It's heavy. I'm struggling.' It was terrifying."

Adding to the family's distress, COVID-19 protocols meant Ms Day could not be with her son, who also has autism, while he was in hospital.

"It was petrifying because he was so sick," Ms Day said.

"And then the phone calls that I was getting from the doctors were of significant concern…they were sharing how concerned they were and I felt absolutely powerless.

"I had no idea how my boy was, I didn't know if he was going to come back from it."

Matt ended up spending weeks in hospital hooked up to IV antibiotics – including his 20^th birthday – without his family.

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Lengthy hospital stays are familiar ground for many of the 3500 Australians living with cystic fibrosis, the country's most common genetic disease.

The condition has no cure and recurrent infections cause irreversible damage, with lung failure the most common cause of death.

Around half of those with cystic fibrosis currently pass away by the age of 30.

Ms Day said watching her son's condition decline was even more devastating knowing there was a medication that could give him his life back.

While the drug Trikafta is available to patients in Australia, it is incredibly expensive, costing more than $300,000 per year.

Ms Day is one of many campaigning for Trikafta to be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for everyone with cystic fibrosis.

A petition with 35,000 signatures calling for Trikafta to be subsidised under the PBS was presented to Federal Parliament in November by Labor MP and paediatrician Mike Freelander.

"Trikafta is a life-saving and life-changing treatment for people for people with cystic fibrosis," Mr Freelander told parliament at the time.

"We have seen people taken off the heart/lung transplant list. We're seeing people's lives saved."

In July last year, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommended Trikafta be listed on the PBS, but only for those aged over 12 and with a specific mutation of cystic fibrosis.

Genevieve Handley, who started the parliamentary petition, said the decision would only cover about 20 percent of the 2200 people waiting to access the medication.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures the drug, is also yet to proceed with the PBAC recommendation.

Listing Trikafta on the PBS was also discussed at a PBAC meeting in December, with the independent advisory panel's decision expected to be made public tomorrow.

Ms Handley said people's lives were depending on Friday's PBAC outcome and Vertex Pharmaceuticals agreeing to list Trikafta.

"More than 25 countries have provided access and reached agreements before Australia," Ms Handley said.

"There are 2200 Australians who need Trikafta now.

"The CF community desperately needs a 'yes' from the PBAC, followed by access soon afterwards."

Ms Handley, who has cystic fibrosis, said Trikafta had been a gamechanger for her after she was approved for Vertex's limited compassionate access scheme, three days before she was due to meet with a lung transplant team.

"It's improved my lung function from 34 percent to 55 percent," she said.

"My lung bleeds that had continued for months have stopped and I no longer need to see the transplant team.

"I can breathe without hearing crackles or wheezing, rarely cough and can walk along the beach and talk at the same time."

Ms Day said hearing positive stories about other people who were able to access Trikafta gave her hope that Matt would soon be able to benefit.

"He has been so sick but having access to this medication would basically give him his life back and help him be able to realise that that he can do more than just be the sick kid," she said.

"I think our kids deserve a future."

9news.com.au has contacted the Department of Health for comment.

A spokesperson for Vertex Pharmaceuticals said: "Vertex has always maintained its focus to ensure equitable access to Trikafta for all eligible Cystic Fibrosis patients in Australia."

"Trikafta has been available internationally for up to two years. There are now more than 25 countries, including Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, that have recognised the value Trikafta brings to the CF Community and funded the therapy for all eligible patients. Australian patients deserve the same."

A spokesperson for the Federal Health Department said in September that Vertex had still not provided a formal proposal for the drug to be reconsidered and listed for the broader cystic fibrosis population.

The spokesperson for Vertex said the proposal was submitted at the December PBAC meeting.

Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au

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