Davao del Norte town surprised by hailstorm

DAVAO CITY— Residents in Talaingod town in Davao del Norte were surprised when pellets of frozen ice rained down on a mountainous areaon Friday afternoon as the rest of the region were experiencing localized thunderstorms.

The hailstorm lasted about 30 minutes, according to Novie Pojas, a staff at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) who witnessed the rare weather phenomenon.

“Personally, I am amazed. That’s my first time to see a hailstorm because it is very rare to happen in Mindanao, [the region] being a tropical country,” she said.

According to Pojas,  more than 30 people in Talaingod’s Balimba Hills witnessed the hailstorm as local disaster units of the town were attending a gathering in the area when the hailstorm hit the town’s cultural village that is now being occupied by soldiers.

“Around 2:00 p.m, it rained heavily, then suddenly we saw pellets of ice pouring down,” said Pojas, who uploaded a video on Facebook.

No one was hurt and no properties were damaged, she added.

Hailstorms happen when there is a formation of cumulonimbus clouds due to unstable air mass in the atmosphere, according to the PDRRMC. /ee