Strong hailstorms hit many parts of Vellore and Tirupattur districts on Thursday, bringing respite from the searing heat in the region since early April.
Meteorologists at the Vellore Observatory of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the formation of cumulonimbus clouds, due to the intense heat for several weeks, was the reason for the sudden hailstorm in the town. “Such hailstorms occur mainly inland as they are far away from sea breeze that eases extreme heat. These clouds are formed suddenly and cover only a small portion of area in terms of distance,” N.A. Nehru Raj, Meteorologist ‘A’, Vellore Observatory, told The Hindu.
In the Vellore district, areas like Gudiyatham, Pernambut and Pallikonda, which were experiencing temperatures of over 40 degree Celsius for the past few weeks, received strong hailstorms on Thursday. Few remote villages bordering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in Vellore, like Bungalamedu, Vettavalam and Valathur received strong hailstorms. Many people shared pictures, holding ice crystals in their hands, on social media.
