Summer hailstorm blankets Australian capital

CANBERRA, Feb 28 (Reuters) A freak summer hail storm left ice blanketed across large parts of Australia's drought-hit capital Canberra today, forcing some businesses and government departments to close due to storm and flood damage.

While thunder storms are common in Canberra in the last month of summer, the rare hail storm left the national capital resembling snow-bound cities in the United States, with tractors sent out to clear ice from busy roads.

The hail storm left metre-deep ice in parts of Canberra's central business district, and caused flooding and damage in over 60 buildings at the nearby Australian National University and the city's main shopping centre, which were closed for the day.

''I can't remember the last time we've actually received hail that has piled up on the roads in such a large amount,'' Owen Offler from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology told Reuters.

The storm hit on the last day of a hot summer in Australia, much of which is enduring its sixth year of drought, and in a city where authorities have imposed strict restrictions on household water use due to low water levels in its reservoirs.

Residents reported up to 70 millimetres (2.7 inches) of rain in an hour during the overnight storm, which also forced the evacuation of the top floor of the city's main police station.

More storms are forecast for the last day of Australia's summer in Canberra, but Offler said the city had already set a new record for the most thunder storms recorded in a single month, with 14 so far in February.

Reuters PDM VP1040