Severe thunderstorm blows through Canberra, causes destruction

Emergency services spent the night cleaning up in the wake of the destructive storm that tore through Canberra on Tuesday, bringing down trees and leaving scores without power.

SES, Fire and Rescue and RFS officers responded to 66 calls for help after the intense storm that lasted just a few minutes.

Most calls for storm and tree damage were in the inner-northern suburbs of Braddon, O'Connor, MacGregor and Campbell.

Around 100 residents in parts of Braddon, Ainslie and Belconnen spent the night without power as Evo Energy crews continue to work to restore electricity following the afternoon deluge.

The rain came thick and fast but the Bureau of Meteorology recorded just 2.6mm at Canberra Airport.

The storm ripped through the capital at 4.20pm, causing havoc across Canberra as it brought wind gusts of up to 90km/h.

While people rushed to get their cars undercover, some vehicles could not be saved from falling trees, including one crushed in an incident at Braddon.

The unlucky car in Braddon. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos

Following Tuesday's temperamental weather with a top of 33, Wednesday will bring a calm, sunny day with a top of 26. Showers are forecast to return on Saturday.

An even larger tree toppled over elsewhere in the suburb, having succumbed to the wind.

A large tree fell over in Braddon during Monday's storm. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos

ACT emergency services and the SES were called on to respond to 66 incidents, including fallen powerlines.

The ESA alerts map as of 6.15 pm December 1. Picture: ACT ESA

Canberrans took to social media to share photos and videos of the storm and its aftermath.

Wow, huge flash storm just raced through Canberra! pic.twitter.com/QwEUpIYoKH

— Cormac Farrell (@jagungal1) December 1, 2020

Timelapse: severe thunderstorm arrives in #Canberra city centre. pic.twitter.com/DTA8S0GGfh

— Adam Spence (@AdamSpenceAU) December 1, 2020

The Canberra storm seems to have passed over Parliament House pretty quickly but it left at least one victim in its wake. Dammit, we will rebuild! pic.twitter.com/NBAkQimc8d

— Katie Burgess (@katie_b_burgess) December 1, 2020

Far out, it’s like a cyclone just blew through Canberra pic.twitter.com/bSwD2u36Eq

— Ebony “Wash your hands” Bennett 🌈 (@ebony_bennett) December 1, 2020