Hailstorm excitement gives way to anxiety in Wayanad

KOZHIKODE: The excitement over the rare hailstorm that sprung a surprise on the summer heat-struck residents of Wayanad has given way to anxiety with farmers expressing concern over the damages to crops. The intense hail had lashed in Sultan Bathery and nearby areas on Monday afternoon.
Though Wayanad used to witness hailstorms –– locally called ‘kallumazha’ –– during summer showers, it was for the first time that large ice chunks rained down from the sky.
“The sight of rain unloading a barrage of hail stones was spectacular and it left a blanket of white ice in front of our house. Adding to the sight was the sound of hail stones blasting on rooftops. I have been living in Wayanad for the last 30 years and have never experienced such an intense hailstorm. It started around 3pm and lasted for around 30 minutes,” said Vinod Prakash E M of North Manichira in Sultan Bathery.
He said that though the summer showers were a welcome relief, the accompanying hailstorm has affected various crops. “We had a tree full of rambutan and the whole of them came down. The mangoes are also showing signs of damage,” said Prakash.
Coffee Board officials have submitted a preliminary report stating that crops in 200 hectares have been affected. “We will conduct an assessment again after some time to know if the developing berries are affected,” said Coffee Board deputy director M Karuthamani.
Principal agricultural officer M P Valsamma said that around 25,000 plantains have perished in the accompanying strong winds. “It will take some time for the impact of the hit to get manifested in other fruits and vegetables,” she said.
IMD officials said that severe hailstorms are rare in Kerala. The last major hailstorm reported was at Ponmudi near Thiruvananthapuram four years ago.
“Hail stones are formed inside convective clouds when strong updrafts carry raindrops to the top of the cloud where the temperatures could be around -30 degree Celsius. They continue to grow as they travel up and down in updrafts and finally fall when they become heavy enough to overcome the updraft,” said S Sudevan director, IMD, Thiruvananthapuram.