A Summer Storm in Alice Springs

 A storm hits and the sky turns grey. Underneath, life in Alice Springs goes on.

Houses all over town lose power, the driving rain so thick the world is white, and you cannot see past a few metres. Kids run out into the rain, so precious, so rare, it is celebrated by all.

Trees are upended, roots exposed. Lightning strikes causing fires to crackle. Debris on roads slick with the wet, closing thoroughfares and blocking access. A supercell blows across Alice Springs and out towards the east. Behind it, carnage.

Grey skies herald rain in Central Australia (Photo credit: Alicia Pegram)

The next day, the heat is back. Sticky humidity that fled in the wake of the storm returns. The clean up begins. Neighbours help each other, the hum of chainsaws floating down the streets. Some cars and houses are write-offs, destroyed by the burden of fallen trees and branches.

In a land of extremes, unexpected weather events are the norm. The sky changes rapidly. One moment it is blue, the next filled with the colour of thunder. The grey drizzle of the aftermath lasts only for a short time.

Every summer there are storms like this in Alice. They are part of life in the Central Desert. In the wake of the winds, which take roofs of houses, damage is scattered across the town. The storms are brutal but quick. As a rule, rain is received with gratitude.

We pick up and continue into the heart of summer, ready for what might come next.