Intense hailstorm leaves hail accumulation of 50cm in Teruel, Spain

Sott.net
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 05:59 UTC

© Twitter/yolandamellamo (screen capture)

Intense hailstorm in Teruel, Spain

A major hailstorm hit the city of Teruel in the Aragon region of eastern Spain on Friday, September 22, 2017 leaving hail accumulation of 50cm in places.

The hailstorm began at about 21:00 (CET) and was extremely intense for about 15 minutes, followed by another 15 minutes of heavy rain according to El Pais. Within a few hours the temperature had dropped from 24 °C to just 8 °C.

Four people were treated for hypothermia when a driver became trapped under a bridge during flash flooding. Firefighters had to rescue drivers on the San Julián rambla and other streets, where many cars were stuck in the ice. Snowplows were dispatched to some areas to clear the thick layer of hail.

Also in Spain, Grado and Girona were hit by massive and exceptional hailstorms this summer.

Other severe hailstorms from around the world in recent months include:

• Freak summer hailstorm hits Istria, Croatia on the Adriatic Sea
• Snowballs in July? St. Petersburg covered with piles of 'snow' after heavy hailstorm
• Unusual hailstorm blankets Central Mexican city with up to 50 centimeters of ice
• Freak hailstorm rips through town in New South Wales, Australia
• Freak hailstorm hits drought stricken Bloemfontein, South Africa
• Mounds of hail pile up after storm pounds Safford, Arizona

It is likely that atmospheric dust loading from increased comet and volcanic activity is contributing to these 'intense' or 'freak' hailstorms, the cooling effect of which causes ice crystals to form.