Hail in summer? Here’s why Bengaluru witnessed rare ice showers amid heat and humidity

BENGALURU: The lush green turf at Kanteerava Stadium, where football matches are usually played, turned snow-white for a few minutes Wednesday evening, a telling image—not AI-generated—of the intensity of the hailstorm.

While many Bengalureans took to posting online images of ice pellets they had collected or videos of hailstones falling, the question many asked was: Why is Bengaluru witnessing a hailstorm?

According to officials at India Meteorological Department (IMD)-Bengaluru, hailstorms are triggered by intense surface heating and unstable atmospheric conditions and these are typically confined to the peak summer months of March-April and early days of May.

"During summer months, the surface area (land) heats up rapidly and traps heat. Along with moisture-laden humid air, this heat continues to linger near the surface. Gradually, this accumulation of warm and humid air begins to rise and forms into clouds — categorised as cumulonimbus clouds, which people call dark clouds," explained a senior official.

As these towering clouds develop, the moisture within them freezes into ice pellets due to extremely cold temperatures at higher altitudes. "When they become too heavy and surpass the threshold, the result is hailstorms," the meteorologist said, adding that they are common in Karnataka during this period due to prevailing wind discontinuities or troughs extending across peninsular India.

"The infusion of moisture over the peninsular region from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal paves the way for these conditions. This climatic phase results in intense spells of rain, lightning, strong gusty winds and hailstorms," an independent weather observer explained.

Agrimeteorologists from GKVK noted that hailstorms are typically brief and localised — often lasting no more than half an hour, as seen in Bengaluru Wednesday.

Teenager, cobbler electrocuted
Syed Sufian, a 17-year-old resident of Tannery Road, suffered a fatal electric shock in Shivajinagar after stepping on a live wire submerged in a puddle on the road. His uncle, Aslam, said Sufian came to Shivajinagar on his two-wheeler for shopping and was searching for a fuel station when the incident occurred.

Raghu, a 30-year-old cobbler residing on Bannerghatta Road, died of electrocution around 6:45pm near Jedi Mara Junction (Brahmashri Narayanaguru Circle). Bescom officials who inspected the spot said Raghu stepped into a ditch while attending to nature's call during the rain and lost his balance. "Trying to prevent himself from an imminent fall, he held on to a wire linked to the bus shelter. As the wire coating had become thin, he was electrocuted," an official said.


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