Following weeks of devastating bushfires, the longed-for rain deluge promised to provide a cool relief but, instead, the ferocious hailstorm that ravaged Canberra destroyed decades of drought research in the process.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said 65 glasshouses at their Black Mountain site, and at least five other buildings, were badly damaged on Monday with hail penetrating roofs.

In the video above: Canberra lashed by a severe hailstorm

CSIRO Chief Operating Officer, Judi Zielke, told 7NEWS the damage has been "considerable".

"It will take us quite some time to get things repaired," she said.

"At the moment we're still largely focused on assessing the damage. We don't truly know what it is that we've got to work with."

Drought innovation

Director of Agriculture and Food, Michiel Van Lookeren Campagne, said the storm damage was significant.

He told reporters, the damage caused to world-leading experiments, most of which was on crops including cotton, barley, wheat, "will have an impact on our innovation delivery to the farmers".

CSIRO Chief Operating Officer told 7NEWS the damage has been 'considerable'. Credit: Supplied

Experiments affected included those "trying to produce crops that are resistant to disease and droughts".

"Obviously very topical subjects at this moment," Van Lookeren Campagne said.

Some experiments were decades-old, with estimates that the storm would affect an entire "generation" of research.

Experiments with crops including cotton, barley, wheat have been destroyed. Credit: Supplied

He said the institution would soon enter 'recovery mode' which he estimated would "take at least around a year".

Glasshouse research conducted by the CSIRO was damaged in a 2006 storm, but Zielke says the damage done in Monday's deluge is far greater.

Play Video The CSIRO glasshouses in Canberra have been destroyed by the recent hailstorm. The CSIRO glasshouses in Canberra have been destroyed by the recent hailstorm.

2,500 pains of glass were replaced in 2006, whereas Monday's is estimated at double that.

15 glasshouses did withstand the storm because they were older structures that used thicker glass.

The CSIRO team confirmed no one was inside the glasshouses when the hail hit, sending glass flying.

Obliterated

Some 1900 territory residents rang the ACT Emergency Services Agency hotline between midday and 8pm on Monday, more than triple the annual average of calls.

Hail damaged cars are seen parked outside the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in Canberra. Credit: MICK TSIKAS / AAPIMAGE

Hundreds of cars and buildings were badly damaged as golf ball sized hail pelted the capital in a 30-minute frenzy of wild weather.

Insurance Council of Australia spokesperson Campbell Fuller said nearly 11,000 claims had so far been lodged in Canberra and border town Queanbeyan.

More on 7NEWS.com.au

Car windscreens were obliterated at the Australian National University and Old Parliament House, while a wind gust of 117km/h was recorded at Canberra Airport.