Hot and stormy: Canberra set for wild weather on Friday
Canberra is poised to break its summer heatwave record on Friday, after overnight storms provided a brief, and spectacular, pause to the scorching conditions.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 40 degrees for a record fourth day in a row on Friday, as most of south-eastern Australia swelters through a week of uninterrupted hot weather.
On Thursday, an evening thunderstorm rolled through the Canberra region, bringing with it flashes of spectacular lighting.
Canberra United's clash with Melbourne Victory in Queanbeyan had to be abandoned because of the lightning strikes, with players forced from Seiffert Oval in the 17th minute of their W-League match.
Lightning also struck a pipeline in Forrest, which left some residents in the area without gas late on Thursday.
More stormy weather is forecast on Friday, with the Bureau of Meteorology saying a thunderstorm, which could be severe, is likely to hit the capital in the afternoon.
There is a 70 per cent chance of showers, according to the bureau, although only between one and three millimetres of rain is expected to fall.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has told the ACT government that forecast very high electricity demand had the potential to cause blackouts across the capital, most likely between 3-5.30pm.
Evoenergy was responding to numerous outages across Canberra on Thursday night.
The ACT Emergency Services Agency is asking Canberrans to help reduce the strain on the power grid by turning off non-essential household appliances, setting their air conditioner to 26 degrees and switching off unused lighting.
The agency has declared a total fire ban for the capital, while the same restrictions are in place for the surrounding region.
Some relief from the extreme high temperatures is in sight, with the bureau predicting temperatures to drop back to 33 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.