Australia’s weather problems worsened over the weekend, as hail storms, dust clouds and flooding hit the country, amid continuing bushfires.
The capital, Canberra, suffered a violent storm that saw hailstones as big as golf balls come down on the city, putting holes in car windows and damaging buildings and trees.
The storms brought flash flooding, and cut off several power supplies in Canberra. At least two people were injured, says Sky News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hail also hit Melbourne, a city still recovering from bushfires that left its air quality “the worst in the world”, according to the state’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast experienced flooding as a result of unusually intense storms in the area.
In the west of New South Wales, the drought-hit towns of Dubbo, Nyngan, Parkes and Broken Hill were choked by a 300km-wide dust cloud that covered the area and was whipped around by winds of up to 66mph.
The dust is mostly a result of top soil from New South Wales farms, where deadly bushfires have been raging.
Dubbo mayor Ben Shields said the dust clouds were “part and parcel of this record drought we’ve got at the moment”.
The bushfires hit the country in September last year, and have so far claimed 28 lives, while destroying more than 2,600 homes.
More than 25 million acres have been destroyed and half a billion animals killed in bushfires that have raged across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay onlineIn depth What it is and how to stop it
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
‘The Taliban delivers yet another brutal blow’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Tuvalu is being lost to climate change. Other countries will likely follow.Under the Radar Sea level rise is putting islands underwater
-
The Australia-Asia Power LinkUnder The Radar New electricity infrastructure will see solar power exported from Down Under to Singapore
-
‘Serious conversation’ needed over release of carp herpes into Australian watersSpeed Read Flooding means ‘bottom-feeding pests’ are appearing in huge numbers
-
Was Toadzilla the biggest toad of all time?Speed Read Massive amphibian found in north Australian rainforest was ‘like a football with legs’
-
Severe flooding continues to pummel parts of AustraliaSpeed Read
-
The link between colonialism and climate change examinedfeature Top scientists point to connection for first time in new IPCC study
-
Rain bombs and megaflash lightning: Australia experiences unprecedented weatherIn the Spotlight Nine people have been killed during days of torrential rainfall and flooding
-
Shark attacks: is it safe to go in the water?feature Sydney records first fatal shark attack in almost 60 years
