Unprecedented hailstorm hits state
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 05 2024: The state witnessed unprecedented hailstorm accompanied by thunderstorm and heavy rain on Sunday afternoon causing widespread damages to houses mainly with iron sheet roofs, vegetables and seasonal crops.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued warning of heavy rain in North East states like Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura and alerted the NE states.

The IMD bulletin forecast rainfall in these states from 115.5mm to 204.4mm.However, a report from AMFU (Agro-Me-teorological Field Unit) at ICAR complex, Lamphelpat mentioned that only 17.6mm rainfall was recorded on Sunday.

The IMD bulletin also forecast moderate to heavy rain with storms in NE states including Manipur in the next five days.

Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm and hailstorm started falling at different places of the state from about 1.45pm Sunday as heavy hailstorm continued for nearly 15 minutes with ice pellets as large as one inch in diameter and less.

The intense unprecedented hailstorm damaged roofs of several iron roof houses, uprooted trees and smashed vehicles.

At some places, scores of birds hit by falling ice pellets were seen lying dead.

Some elderly citizens informed The People's Chronicle that they have never seen or experienced such heavy hailstorm in their life.

Some portions of Tiddim road were completely filled with White ice pellets and witnessed interesting scene after the heavy hailstorm.

Many vehicles were seen parking on roadsides as they were unable to drive due to the hailstorm while many people enjoyed the never-seen scene and took photos with piles of hails on roadsides.

Thick layer of hails on the roads in some parts of the state resembled those of heavy snowfall areas of the world.

According to experts, the velocity of ice pellets falling from the sky when hit the surface of the Earth is known as terminal velocity and it varies from size of the fallen ice pellets.

Depending on sizes of the fallen ice pellets, velocity reaches up to 100 metres per second.

Ice pellets which fell Sunday were mostly below one inch in diameter and accordingly the speed of the ice pellets could be between 9 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour.

If the diameter of the ice pellets were more than one inch in diameter and reaches up to 1.75 inches, the speed for such ice pellets could be between 25 to 40 miles per hour.

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