Local rivers are rising and parts of Geelong have been hit by flash flooding as the region was hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s weather station at Geelong Racecourse recorded more than 32 millimetres of rain between midnight and 2 o’clock this afternoon, making it one of the wettest areas in the state.

But expected strong winds have not yet eventuated, with gusts recorded at just 20 km/h at Breakwater and around 30 km/h at Avalon.

At 4 o’clock this afternoon the Barwon River at Geelong was at 1.2 metres, well below its minor flood level of 2.5 metres.

The Moorabool and Leigh rivers, which both flow into the Barwon, have also recorded small rises.

The Princes Highway at Mt Moriac had to be closed after water covered the road in the area where work is underway on the highway duplication.

Other roads across the region were the subjects of warnings as huge puddles made driving dangerous.

The Bureau says most of the heavy rain has now passed although isolated showers are expected throughout the night.

Tomorrow is expected to be cloudy with scattered showers with winds reaching 45 km/h, easing to up to 25 km/h by early evening.