The moment pictured in this photo could have been described as "the calm before the storm", but given the weather that hit our city in the next hour, our photographer suggested it would be best described as "the beast over Dubbo".

This was the view from Mugga Hill looking southeast at around 5pm last Thursday, February 9.

Within a few minutes of this photo being taken, a large part of Dubbo was being pounded by this supercell that lasted into the early evening with a massive fall of hail, strong winds and rain that turned streets into rivers.

Power was cut for at least nine hours for many residents.