DHARWAD: The excessive hailstorm that hit Machapur in Kalaghatgi, Dharwad, turned the village into Himalaya-like white paradise for a couple of hours on Tuesday.
Though it was pleasing to the eyes at Machapur village, the farmers and nursery growers felt the pinch. CS Patil, Director of IMD Bengaluru said, “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,” the officer explained. A local villager said that the rains poured for more than two hours and the hailstorms were consistent throughout the rain. The lightnings were also higher than usual.
“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. Large amount of tomato crop which was ready for harvesting were destroyed in the hailstorm. Horticulture crops, saplings and nurseries have also been damaged in the rains.