Hobart cleans up after severe storms, hail and power outages last night

Hobart residents are cleaning up after thunderstorms that brought heavy rain and hail to the Tasmanian capital and parts of the southeastern state last night.

Important points:

• 15.4mm of rain fell on Hobart in half an hour last night, causing flash floods
• The hail was unusually strong and covered some suburbs, according to the weather bureau.
• About 30,000 households were without electricity and there were about 10,000 lightning strikes

On Thursday night, 15.4 millimeters of rain fell on Hobart in just half an hour, said the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

State Emergency Services (SES) deputy chief of operations Leon Smith said several highways had been cut off due to flash floods.

"Unfortunately we have seen people ignore our advice and get caught in this tide, which in many cases is quite dangerous," he said.

"We saw a lot of rainwater, to the point where ... everything was flushed out of the rainwater system."

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Thunderstorms brought hail and heavy rain to Hobart last night. ( Supplied: Belinda Townsend )

SES said it responded to around 45 calls for help in just two hours.

Brook Oakley of the BOM said the state had seen "severe storms," ​​"damaging gusts" of about 120 mph, and "heavy hail," which was "unusual at any time of the year".

"The most remarkable thing about yesterday was the intensity of the precipitation, how little rain there is in a short period of time," he said.

The nets helped protect the fruit trees from hail. ( Facebook: Anne Reeve )

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"The weather will be calmer in the next few days, but we expect a cold day tomorrow."

Lyn Southon wrote on ABC Hobart's Facebook page: "Worst storm I've ever seen! We finished a new fountain ... in our solarium.

10,000 lightning strikes cause power outages

TasNetworks said that about 30,000 households were without electricity last night, of which about 400 are still without electricity.

"Most of them are the result of lightning strikes causing extensive damage to localized transformers that serve up to 50 customers, including many individual customers," said Jason King of TasNetworks.

He said there were about 10,000 lightning strikes last night, which was "unusual".

"Sometimes lightning can cross lines and enter people's facilities and cause internal damage," he said.

"If people smell something strange in your home or smell black spots near electrical outlets, please report it to our call center or our teams to make sure people are safe.

"Even if the sun is shining, it can still be dangerous in the conditions last night."

Some said it was "the worst storm" they had seen in Tasmania. ( Provided: Samantha Jane )

The state emergency services responded to around 45 calls for help in just two hours. ( As long as Angela fell )

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