Alice Springs hail: Red Centre turns white as storm damages buildings, powerlines

Updated

Wild hail storms have flooded parts of Alice Springs and forced the closure of some roads in the town.

Parts of the Red Centre were turned white, as the hail began falling about 4:00pm yesterday.

There were reports of tree branches bringing down powerlines and extensive water damage to buildings, including the Alice Springs Hospital.

Clare Barker from NT Emergency Services said they were not expecting the hail storm to be so intense.

"The most important thing is that the public get behind us here and be prepared," Ms Barker said.

"Make sure that if you've got power that you've got some way of having some food tonight, make sure that you're taking cover, that your children, your family and your pets are safe."

The Bureau of Meteorology's Craig Earl-Spurr said two storms in quick succession dumped about 38 millimetres of rain in Alice Springs.

"If it [Alice Springs] does get thunderstorms it is about this time of the year, and there is a risk of hail," Mr Earl-Spurr said.

He said there was a good chance of more rain and possibly more hail today, although by Sunday it should have cleared.

The same weather system is expected to drift towards the Northern Simpson and Southern Barkly districts, bringing heavy rainfall.

The BoM has issued a severe thunderstorm weather for large hail in the Simpson and Lasseter districts.

Meanwhile on social media, people in the town shared pictures of snowman-like statues made in the ice, a whitened Todd River and short videos of the hail falling.

Topics: weather, alice-springs-0870

First posted