SA Weather and Disaster Observation Service: Hail

Showing posts with label Hail. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Photos: Hail in Kwazulu Natal (11 February 2013)

David Greening - Mooi River to Giants Castle road.

Ziyaad Warasally - Hail in the Pieters Industrial area earlier yesterday afternoon

Sterkspruit hailstorm leaves 10 families homeless (3 February 2013)

A HAILSTORM left about 10 families homeless in Silindini village in Sterkspruit on Sunday, 3 February 2013.

Some villagers came back home from church to find the roofs of their homes ripped off by the strong winds. No injuries were reported.

Resident Madlamini Ndlengezwe said: “My furniture has also been damaged. I don’t know what to do. My bedroom suite is damaged and my house is destroyed. This is a black Sunday!”

The villagers said the hailstorm moved through the village fast. It hit at 2.30pm and in 20 minutes it had trail of destruction.

Christopher Zingithwa said he was lucky to have escaped unscathed after the roof of his two-room flat was blown away. He was in bed at the time and a brick fell onto it, missing him.

“I am unemployed and do not have money to fix it. I am left with a roofless left a house,” he said.

Senqu Municipality Ward 18 councillor Benjamin Ngongodo confirmed at least 10 homes were destroyed.

Mayor Nozibele Mtyhali said as soon as they received a full report on the matter they would forward it to the Joe Gqabi District Municipality for assistance.

- Daily Dispatch

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Kwazulu Natal storm causes further damage

Ladysmith - The homes of more than 300 residents in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, have been damaged by large hail stones as a new storm moved into the area Monday, an NGO said

“It has been raining hard for the past hour (5pm). The plastic sheeting we provided to affected residents to seal their roofs has been blown away,” said Al-Imdaad Foundation project co-ordinator Abed Karrim.

“The houses are being flooded. People are in a state of shock at the damage the storm is causing.”

The storm tore through Ladysmith and surrounding areas such as Acaciavale, Ntombi's Camp and Steadville on Sunday night.

“This was followed by a heavy downpour, which in turn damaged people's belongings,” said Karrim.

The foundation was distributing blankets and mattresses, and providing hot meals to the affected.

Earlier, co-operative governance MEC Nomusa Dube said KwaZulu-Natal would need millions of rands to help those hit by hail storms in some parts of the province.

She led a disaster management team who provided assistance to those left homeless on Monday.

Dube told residents disaster management was monitoring the weather, saying the province was on full alert and ready to act.

“This was indeed an intense storm judging by the severity of damages. We need everyone in the spirit of ubuntu to make a contribution...it is time for humanity to unite.”

One person has been injured during the storm.

- Sapa/IOL

Monday, 10 December 2012

Hailstorm: over 200 homes destroyed

Disaster management officials say more than 200 homes have been damaged in a massive hailstorm in the Ladysmith area last night.

Danny Mkhize, who is with eMnambithi Municipality, says they opened up community halls in the area last night to provide shelter for the hundreds affected.

He says this morning their teams will go out with plastic sheeting to help secure houses that have badly damaged roofs.

"We are trying to now to see the exact extent [of the damage], because most of the houses you can't see [the damage] from outside.

"It is when you go inside where you see it, because it was coming directly from above and ripping through the roofs," he said.

Click here for photos of the hail.

- East Coast Radio News

Photos Hailstorm pummels Ladysmith

A devastating hailstorm has damaged more than 200 houses in the Ladysmith area.

Disaster management officials have been meeting in Ladysmith to assess the damage caused.

The storm, which hit in the early evening, pummelled the area with hailstones, some as large as tennis balls.

Some residents expressed how terrifying it was on social networking sites with some posting photos of damaged cars.

Reports say strong gusts of winds ripped roofs from homes.

(Above: Hamzaa/@hamzaakarim tweeted this photo of hail damage to an Audi's windscreen. "I was at Ultra City Estcourt at 7pm when this car drove in," he said.)

(Above: Luzanne Jones sent us these photos of the sky - before and after the storm)

- East Coast Radio News

Update: Hail destroys homes in Ladysmith area

Hail damage is more widespread than expected, with hundreds if not thousands of houses damaged in the storm last night.

The path of the storm stretched from Colenso all the way to Modelkloof.

Some houses have been totally destroyed.

"At this time, there are no reports of serious injuries. Rumours that six children were killed in the storm are just that," said JOC (Joint Operations Committee) spokesperson Mr Mkhize.

The JOC will be sending out teams to assess damage and provide free assistance with emergency repairs where it is feasible.

- LookLocal

Sunday, 9 December 2012

Hail destroys homes throughout Ladysmith

A devastating freak hail storm did widespread damage throughout greater Ladysmith earlier this evening (Sunday). Hardest hit was Acaciavale and Smartiesville, with reports coming in of massive hail damage and flooding. Residents described the hail stones as being as big as tennis balls. At least one home had its roof collapse. Some areas are without power and emergency services are responding. Reports also came in of tennis-ball-size hail stones falling in Roosboom, Colenso and Bergville. These reports filtered in shortly after the initial storm damage reports from town. We will be posting more photos of the damage tomorrow morning.

- LookLocal

Saturday, 10 November 2012

Photos: Weather Observation: South Africa (10 November 2012)

muhammad_bata: @SAWDOS1 the Durban we love...sunshine all the way

Flying Dutchman: @SAWDOS1 at last we have fantastic weather in Durban !

@Afritrack_Info: @SAWDOS1 Light Hailing in JHB South Still With Intense Lightning and Thunder. Storm Blowing towards the East.

Dewald Hough: Dark clouds and lightning moving around Lichtenburg NW area

Dullstroom Weather: @SAWDOS1 Dullstroom 14h45: Severe 15min thunderstorm with 15/25mm hail pasted through. 15mm rain moving ENE I think.

Andrea: @SAWDOS1 Storm cloubs over Woodmead 3:25pm

Gavin Benson: @SAWDOS1 Picture of Kensington Ridge. Hailing now in Cyrildene Johannesburg with intense lightning.

Fiona: @SAWDOS1 Hail in kensington. It was so loud.

Dawid Conradie: Hierdie fotos is vanmiddag om en by 14:00-14:30 by ons Sentech High Site geneem in die rigting van Koster. Die reen het uiteindelik oor

Rustenburg wat aan die linkerkant van die fotos is getrek.Alhoewel SAWS

steeds op die Storm Tracking wys dat dit in Rustenburg reën het dit

heeltemal opgehou en daar is nou net donderweer aktiwiteit aan die weste

kant van die dorp. Dit is nou ongeveer waar die fotos geneem is.

Cornel van Heerden: JHB Weather is better here at SC! All go for.

Philip Fourie: VIA @TrafficSA Another reason for the bad traffic on M1 South.

Jaco Pretorius: @SAWDOS1 Hail in Nelspruit 20 mm big.

Cornel van Heerden: Rain stopped at SC. Sun shining. Soweto will be rocked big time by @linkinpark Thanx

Supermark op Delareyville in Noordwes stort ineen na haelstorm

Foto: Verskaf deur Rita Johnson

Vyf mense is beseer toe 'n supermark op Delareyville in Noordwes ineengestort het. Die munisipale bestuurder, Dion Mere, sê die gebou het meegegee tydens 'n haelstorm wat met sterk wind gepaardgegaan het. Mere sê twee vroue is met ernstige beserings in die hospitaal opgeneem. Hy sê die munisipaliteit se ingenieursdepartement probeer die oorsaak van die voorval bepaal.

- RSG Nuus

Hailstorm in South Africa on Thursday, 08 November, 2012 at 14:45 (02:45 PM) UTC.

A hail storm, which swept over parts of Tshwane on Thursday, left hundreds of households in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria, without hot water. On Thursday, golf ball-sized chunks of ice shattered the glass tubes of solar geysers mounted on roofs. The municipality installed the energy saving devices as part of a massive 'Greening the city' project. Vusi Khumalo said the storm left him without hot water. He said his whole community was affected. “About 2,000 houses have broken windows and broke geysers.”

The hail stones shattered the thin glass tubes on the geysers, one house after the other, at almost every street. Khumalo's neighbour Tsepo Lebulwana said the inconvenience will increase his electricity bill. “We don’t have hot water so I use my kettle.” The community appealed to the municipality for help.

- RSOE EDIS

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Fotos: Haelstorm in Polokwane 07 November 2012

Haelimpakete naby parkie

Inspekteur nuwe dreinerings

Oggend na die haelstorm

Fred Calitz skryf: Hier is so ‘n paar foto’s van gisteraand se haelstorm hier in Polokwane. Ek het lanklaas so ‘n intense elektriese storm beleef! Daar was ten minste drie stormselle wat deur die loop van die aand en nag oor die stad gespoel het, met ‘n totale reënval van tussen 28 en 34mm. Klink vir my die storm was erger in die middestad as hier in die ‘burbs! Hier by my het ertjie- en albastergrootte-haelkorrels geval, maar ek hoor berigte van tot golfbalgrootte korrels in die weste van die stad wat redelik skade aan tuine en voertuie aangerig het. Dis was vanoggend aardig om impakmerke in ‘n modderpoel hier in ‘n parkie naby Oosskool te sien.