Tom Swann is one of several Canberra Times readers to send in photos of the impact of Monday's hailstorm.
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The Australia Institute senior climate researcher works in Manuka, which was one of the areas hit particularly hard.
"It feels pretty surreal. Canberra's gone from apocalyptic bushfire smoke and the worst air quality in the world, to a torrent of golf ball sized hail stripping the leaves from trees and knocking birds out of the sky," he said.
Fast-moving thunderstorms have brought heavy rain with golf-ball-sized hail stones lashing the ACT.
Widespread damage from the first wave of storms has been reported across Canberra, but appears to be particularly concentrated in the Belconnen suburbs, city and inner south.
It's the latest in Canberra's bizarre summer after the city was enveloped for weeks in thick bushfire smoke that had only just cleared.
The relatively brief, but ferocious storm swept into the ACT at lunchtime, moving from the north-west to the south-east.
Wind gusts of up to 116km/h were recorded at Canberra airport, and there were reports of 4-5cm hail stones.
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