Intense hailstorm in Cordoba, Argentina leaves hail accumulations of 1.5 m (4.9 feet) within 15 minutes

Sott.net
Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:52 UTC

© Twitter

Hail accumulation on route E-21 in La Cruz, Cordoba, Argentina

An intense hailstorm hit the Cordoba region of Argentina on Thursday, October 26, 2017 leaving hail accumulations of 1.5 m (4.9 feet) within 15 minutes around La Cruz reported La Nacion.

Meteorologists issued alerts before the storm hit but they 'never' imagined such an impressive phenomenon said Fire Chief Martin Bustos. Firefighters worked for several hours with two diggers to free cars trapped on route E-21 and to make the road passable.

Also in Argentina, on the previous day (Wednesday, 25 October, 2017) giant hailstones of up to eight centimeters in diameter hit Formosa damaging more than 1,000 buildings.

A couple of weeks ago (Sunday, October 8, 2017) giant hail damaged cars as a freak hailstorm hit Corrientes and surrounding areas.

Some other severe hailstorms from around the world in recent months include:

• Freak hailstorm wreaked havoc in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Intense hailstorm leaves hail accumulation of 50cm in Teruel, Spain
• Exceptional hailstorm hits Girona, Spain (VIDEOS)
• 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.