New Delhi: Machapur village in Kalaghatgi taluk of Dharwad district of Karnataka witnessed an unusual weather event on Tuesday after a strong hailstorm covered the area in white for a few hours.
The village looked like a Himalayan landscape as hail piled up on roads and open spaces. Residents said the sight was rare and unlike anything they had seen before. But behind the visual appeal, the storm brought major losses to farmers and nursery growers.
According to locals, rain lashed the village for more than two hours. Hail fell throughout the spell and lightning activity was also stronger than usual.
Village turns white after storm
A resident said the scale of the hailstorm shocked villagers. “We have not seen anything like this. The roads had turned white with the amount of hailstorm. Several houses with tiles on top have suffered losses,” the villager said.
The hailstorm damaged tiled roofs in several homes, residents said. The white layer of hail stayed for some time and made the village look like a snow-covered area.
IMD links event to heat and moisture
CS Patil, Director of IMD Bengaluru, said a mix of weather conditions led to the storm. “Several factors such as wind speed and its continuity, extreme heat and moisture influence weather. The intense heat has led to deep convection resulting in the weather event,” he said.
According to the IMD official, strong heat combined with moisture and wind conditions likely triggered the hailstorm over the area.
Crops and nurseries suffer damage
The storm caused serious damage to agriculture and horticulture. A large quantity of tomato crop that was ready for harvest was destroyed, local reports said. Farmers also suffered losses in horticulture crops, nurseries and saplings. Growers in the area said the hail hit at a time when many crops were close to market stage, making the losses more painful.