Strong hailstorm hit many parts of Vellore town on Friday, recording 55 mm of rainfall at 5.30 p.m, the highest rainfall recorded in a day in the State this season.
Meteorologists at Vellore Observatory of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that formation of cumulonimbus clouds, due to 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 soaring temperatures. Such clouds are sudden and cover only a small portion of area in terms of distance,” N.A. Nehru Raj, meteorologist ‘A’, Vellore Observatory, told The Hindu.
Vellore town and neighbouring areas like Gudiyatham, Katpadi, and Anaicut have been experiencing temperatures of over 37.7 degrees Celsius for the past few weeks. On Friday, the daily temperature of the district was recorded at 40.3 degrees Celsius by the Vellore Observatory at the Collectorate before a hailstorm hit the district, especially Vellore town.
Residents in Katpadi, Sathuvachari on the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway, Old Town, and Thoraipadi near Central Prison witnessed a hailstorm, with many people sharing pictures of holding ice crystals on social media. A video of a hailstorm was also taken at the VIT campus in the town and went viral on social media.
Meteorologists said that Friday’s hailstorm was, on average, around 30 kmph, resulting in frequent thunder, lightning, heavy rain, and strong winds. As per the study, they said that cumulonimbus clouds are formed mainly due to intense heat of over 37.8 degrees Celsius for many days in a particular area. Such clouds are formed within hours, depending on the extent of heat experienced by the locality prior to them.
In Vellore, the average temperature for several weeks was above 40 degrees Celsius. “On Thursday, Vellore recorded 41.7 degrees Celsius, which is the highest in the State for this summer. Such storms occur for a short duration, say a few hours, but the damage will be severe,” Mr. Raj said.
At present, the Vellore Observatory records weather forecasts and updates for a radius of around 100 km, covering Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, and Krishnagiri districts.
