Oh ‘hail’ no
Damaged roofs, broken windows and dented cars set the tone for conversations all over Boksburg after a freak hailstorm hit Ekurhuleni on Monday, November 11.
According to climatologist Clive Webber, last November’s hailstorm was “nowhere near as devastating” as the one on Monday night.
Webber says the biggest hailstone he measured after the storm was 32mm, which is classified as golf ball size.
He said there were hailstones ranging from 10mm to the golf ball size, with the bigger ones ranging from 30mm to 40mm.
Webber said November is the time of the year most prone to producing damaging storms.
According to Ekurhuleni’s Emergency Services spokesperson, William Ntladi, the storm left some damage behind with some trees having fallen on to the road and a building of flats in Reiger Park having its roof destroyed.
“We only received one call and that was for the Reiger Park flats. We also did our own inspections, checking some of our problem areas such as under the bridge on Trichardts Road, and as well as the railway road near the Tambo Memorial Hospital.
“Last November’s storm saw the area under the bridge being flooded, but we supposed the problem was fixed as the flooding systems worked,” he says.
“We also had to remove the trees that were partly obstructing the roads after the storm and we managed to secure the area so motorists knew which roads to avoid.”
Boksburgers also took to social networks to find others who had experienced the wrath of the hailstorm.
The Advertiser received over 30 comments on its Facebook page relating to the damage caused by the hail shortly after the storm:
A dismayed Yvonne Mashinini posted: “Study window, skylight and roof in study. The roof and skylight were fixed early this year from the last storm. Have to advise insurance again, eish!”
Ronwyn Geere posted: “My garden is ruined, no windows broken but it was very close. In Freeway Park my daughter said that some skylights are damaged and water leaking into the lounge, electric fence damaged and a cracked wall. Possibly some cracked roof tiles, will have to check when it’s day light.”
The common complaint appears to be a damaged roof, damage to electrical fencing, as well as broken car and home windows.
See galleries on the Advertiser’s website for all the photos sent to us of the hail.
The size of the hail stones on 11th November this year was pretty close to those that fell on 8th November last year, but I think that in Freeway Park at least, there were fewer really big stones this year. Last year’s hail punched holes in 2 polycarbonate roof panels; the replacement panels – brand new – were not punctured this year. Possibly the panels last year were somewhat brittle after several years exposure in the sun. The hail this year has caused lots of dents in two aluminium awnings (replacements after last year). The dents look just as bad as those last year; but the hail last year also knocked some of the aluminium awning panels right out of their mountings; this year none of the panels were knocked loose – they were just severely dented. Yet I hear that other residents who last year suffered little damage, have had severe damage this year. Damage depends not only on the size of the stones, but also on the direction the stones fall from.
Hi there,
My sister lives in Glen Marais in Kempton, she took photos of the hail as well, and it shows hail baals larger than gholf balls!
I believe this was one of the most ferocious storms in a long time!
In Cape Town we have experienced some strange and unusual rainfall, especially this time of the year. It is becoming so obviously visual that our weather patterns have changed, there is really not the ‘dry winter’ seasons on the Highveld as I remember them from childhood, those long, cold and icy winter days, no rain until September…
Guess we have to evolve!