Hail falls in Quezon City, Alabang

Image: Zyralyn Joy Dela Rosa via Facebook

Social media is abuzz with posts of hail falling in some areas of Quezon City and Alabang.

Various users on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have shared footage of ice raining down on pavements and roofs at around 5:30 p.m. The pieces of ice do not appear to be especially large but could still cause damage to property.

this is the view from my other window and you clearly see that it’s raining ice pic.twitter.com/Bhi3xFKdYA

— ㅤ (@peachesnjin) June 15, 2017

Twitter user @Reskiyee, a Quezon City resident, said that the hail storm lasted around ten to fifteen minutes. The ice pieces were about half an inch in diameter by his estimates.

There have been incidents in the past when hailstorms over Quezon City occurred. One such incident was reported by Inquirer in 2015, when pieces of ice fell on certain parts of Visayas Avenue.

Image: Facebook/Eve Protacio

While it may seem surprising for ice to fall from the sky in a hot and humid country like the Philippines, science says there’s actually nothing to be surprised about.

Hail has a tendency to form when the air is warm and moist in the backdrop of a stormy weather, something that we have a good supply of in our country. When it gets hot enough, air tends to move upward in what is called an updraft. If rain falls and the updrafts are especially strong, water droplets get suspended in the air. Here, they accumulate more moisture, turn to ice, and when heavy enough to be carried by updrafts, fall to the earth into what we call hail.

So, the next time ice falls on your roof on a rainy day, don’t fret. It’s just mother nature doing her thing. JB

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