Australian capital Canberra and other parts of the region were hit by huge hailstones on Monday even as the south-eastern parts of the country are reeling from the bushfire and smoke clouds. The hailstones smashed windshields and killed birds, reports said. Chaos ensued after the hail started to fall in the region. Flash flood warnings were issued soon after the storm.
The Bureau of Meteorology in New South Wales warned the people of the country of "damaging winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy rainfall." The hailstones were seemingly large with approximately 2 centimeters in diameter and said to be around the size of a golf ball. It was even able to tear leaves off the trees.
Australian summer showed what climate change really means
The summer in Australia felt all the effects of climate change. Within the span of a few months there has been a bushfire, heavy smoke clouds and now the hail storm. Although Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reluctant to acknowledge the need for climate action there has been responses from the world understanding the need for climate action.
The storm that happened on Monday was fast-moving and intense, with the emergency services receiving at least 1,900 calls for help. This is three times the average number of calls that the services usually get during a storm. The agency said that the calls came in after mid-day.
Several buildings were damaged during the storms. Australian National University in Canberra was forced to shut down for two days following the storms to assess the damages.
New South Wales was hit by heavy rains while Narromine and nearby communities saw very little rainfall. The community was hoping for rainfall after the hardship they faced during the bushfires. The dusty storms engulfed several regions and made the region look like it was night time. Actor Russell Crowe took to Twitter and posted images of what a little bit of rain can do during the bushfires.
Australia is slowly recovering from the aftermath of the summer with the fire dying down slowly. But reports suggest that several of the forests may not be able to recover from the aftermath of the fire.
