On the afternoon of 20 January 2020 a short but severe storm struck Canberra and nearby Queanbeyan in NSW. Hailstones as large as golf-balls and winds over 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) were noted. Many thousands of motor vehicles were badly damaged by hail and many were written off. Over 50,000 insurance claims were lodged, largely for vehicles, and the event was declared a catastrophe by the National Insurance Council. The cost of the storm was over A$500,000,000. Power to about 1,000 homes was cut. Sixty-five Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) experimental greenhouses were severely damaged by hail, and as consequence years of crop, and other types of research, were lost. The Australian Academy of Science’s Shine Dome was seriously damaged, with smashed skylights and denting of the copper roof surface. Large numbers of fauna were killed and trees were also damaged.