Mexico’s city of Guadalajara experienced a hailstorm in abundance which resulted in a thick layer of ice spread over six suburbs.
According to reports, the ice was about 1.5 meters (5ft) thick and almost buried vehicles under it.
The city of five million people was hit with a sudden hailstorm for a mere twenty minutes when the temperature suddenly dropped from 22 degrees Celsius to 14 degrees Celsius.
Guadalajara had been experiencing temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius for a while now and hail storms are a common occurrence. However, a hailstorm of such magnitude was unexpected.
A Hailstorm occurs when warm air rises upwards and forms showers and storms. Even in summers, temperatures higher up can get well below zero degrees Celsius. That leads to ice crystals forming along with something called “supercooled water” which eventually grows into pellets of ice.
Since Guadalajara has a maximum temperature of up to 32 degrees Celsius in June, more moisture is available and hence, the chances of a hailstorm increases.
Reportedly, around 200 homes have been damaged and several vehicles were swept away in and around the city.
According to BBC Weather, the hailstones melted when it came in contact with high temperatures which then formed a layer of water upon which more hail landed and floated.
Due to the high altitude of the city, the hail and water combo moved down slope. Since buildings and vehicles posed as obstacles, ice accumulated on top of them.
All this occurred in a matter of twenty minutes and the pictures are proof of what Mother Nature is capable of. People around the world are claiming it to be a ‘freak hailstorm’ and worrying about our planet’s well being.
This hailstorm’s connection with climate change is still unclear.