Much-needed rainfall, although not nearly enough for Canberra's avid gardeners, swept across the capital on Thursday with the passage of a low pressure trough that will pass quickly and bring a return to warm weather for the weekend.
The day temperature topped out at 21.2 degrees, below the forecast high of 23 degrees shortly before thunderstorms rolled in from the north and west, bringing bouts of showers to the city from around 10am.
It delivered a welcome break to recent weeks of sun and wind, both of which have begun to brown off much of the grasslands around the territory and elevate fire concerns.
In fact, most Canberrans didn't seem to mind the brief inclemency at all, unfurling their umbrellas for the first time in weeks and carrying on regardless.
Maximum rainfall in the city to mid-afternoon was 6.8mm, and 7.8mm in Tuggeranong.
The Bureau of Meteorology said warm, relatively stable weather - although still with a slight chance of a shower - would return quickly to the ACT over the coming days, with 28 degrees forecast on Friday, 32 on Saturday and 31 on Sunday.
More patchy thunderstorms are on the way for the south-east of the country, and potentially into Canberra, from around Tuesday.
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