Thursday, March 27, 2008

Hailstones

It rained hailstones in the central part of Singapore today. It was reported that the hailstones were the size of 5 cent coins. The hailstones were seen mainly in Bishan, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, falling for about 20 minutes before subsiding. The last hailstone incident was reported in July 2007. Hailstones form in intense thunderstorm clouds. Such clouds develop when there is strong convection, which occur all year round in the tropics. Generally, the hailstones would have been melted before they reach the ground. However, in the presence of a strong downdraft in an intense thunderstorm, the hailstones can be brought to the ground rapidly without melting.

Singapore’s weather is really interesting and unpredictable. The moment before the hailstones fell, the afternoon was marked by especially hot and dry weather, but suddenly it rained cats and dogs in the late afternoon. I was not even aware of hailstones falling until I came back home and watched the news.

Interesting weather phenomenon of Singapore.

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