Thousands of homes and businesses across Alice Springs and surrounding communities have been left without electricity after a powerful storm brought destructive winds, heavy rain, and hail to Central Australia.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), severe thunderstorms developed on Monday afternoon when a surface trough combined with a warm and unstable air mass over southern parts of the Northern Territory. Heavy rain and hail struck Alice Springs around 3:30pm, while wind gusts reached 96km/h at approximately 3:44pm.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Power and Water Corporation said “approximately 9,000 properties” had lost power “due to damage caused by a sudden storm cell”.In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Power and Water Corporation said “approximately 9,000 properties” had lost power “due to damage caused by a sudden storm cell”.
“A surface trough coincides with a warm and unstable air mass in southern parts of the Territory, which has resulted in the development of severe thunderstorms,” the weather bureau said.
The short-lived storm cell pushed trees onto roads, powerlines and roofs.
The Alice Springs Hilton DoubleTree was among the properties to suffer significant damage.”A surface trough coincides with a warm and unstable air mass in southern parts of the Territory, which has resulted in the development of severe thunderstorms,” the weather bureau said.
Weather experts noted that while the storm cell was relatively short-lived, its strength was sufficient to cause significant damage due to the combination of powerful winds, hail, and intense rainfall.
Power restoration efforts are expected to continue as crews inspect damaged infrastructure and safely reconnect affected properties.
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