High-speed winds and rain during Thursday evening's thunderstorm resulted in 40 calls for assistance to emergency services.
ACT Rural Fire Service chief officer Rohan Scott said a majority of the callers were from Weston Creek, Woden and Tuggeranong. He said residents called about damage from fallen trees and flooding in their roofs.
"Trees were down across roads, in public areas and also on people's homes ... a lot of [damage] was tree branch debris and also just that quick runoff from the storm where the water collects as well," Mr Scott said.
Thursday's thunderstorm
The storm was brought on by an approaching cold front in the ACT which led to a strong shift in the weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported wind gusts of 39kmh at Canberra Airport and 17kmh at Tuggeranong on Thursday.
Rain gauges in the ACT recorded about 14mm at Corin Dam, 22mm at Bendora Dam, 1.6mm at Tuggeranong Creek and 5mm at Watson Racecourse as of 9am Friday.
Mr Scott also said some of the requests for help could be minimised by people better preparing their properties.
He advised residents to clean out gutters, removing any loose items that could become airborne during a storm, and making sure no combustibles were lying around outside their homes.
Preparing for a high-risk weather season
Bushfire season in the ACT was declared on October 1 and is anticipated to last till March 31 next year.
"We're actually in the high-risk weather season, so it's not just a risk of bushfire but we also got a risk of storms which we saw last night," Mr Scott said.
He said emergency services volunteers and the ACT Parks and Conservation service had been preparing all year round. Throughout the off-season, their teams conducted risk-reduction activities including grass slashing, chemical spraying, hazard reduction burning, and removal of fuel loads such as dead branches and leaf litter.
"It's best to be prepared now. Prepare with us, like we have been doing all year round, and together we can work to keep ourselves safe and the community safe from the impact of storm, fire or flood," he said.
Mr Scott encouraged the community to become familiar with their survival plans, prepare an emergency kit if they ever need to relocate or leave their property. He also requested people to check the Fires Near Me app and keep up with severe weather warnings.
Detailed information about survival plans and fire danger ratings can be found on the ACT ESA website.
Weekend forecast
Weather is expected to remain stable through the weekend while still holding on to some cloud cover and gusty winds between 20-40kmh.
Maximum temperatures will remain at 19 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. The bureau expects cold nights and mornings as minimum temperatures are predicted to reach as low 4 degrees.
While the ACT didn't have a fire danger rating on Thursday, there are moderate ratings issued until Monday. Ratings may change as they are updated everyday.
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