First hailstorm of the season brings relief to residents of Vellore, Tirupattur

A strong hailstorm has brought much-needed relief to residents in the border villages of the Vellore and Tirupattur districts of Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, as the daily temperature touched 42.4 degrees Celsius in Vellore.

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. “Clouds during hailstorms are formed in a short time. Such hailstorms occur mainly inland as they are far away from sea breeze that eases extreme heat,” N.A. Nehru Raj, meteorologist ‘A’, Vellore Observatory, told The Hindu.