Hailstorm blankets Sao Paulo: good news for the city was running out of water

Tuesday, May 20th 2014 - 08:27 UTC

Full article 4 comments

Children play with the marble sized ice (Pic AP)

An unusually heavy hailstorm in Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, has brought residents out onto to the streets to play with the ice it left behind. For many of them, it was the first time they had seen huge ice balls littering the streets of the subtropical city.

The hail left many roads flooded or coated in white. The ice lingered until Monday morning in many gardens in the Aclimacao neighborhood.

The Centre for Emergency Management said on Monday that the storm had dumped 10 cm of moisture on the city. The news is welcome as Sao Paulo had been enduring a long, dry spell.

In April, the city's main reservoir fell to its lowest level on record.

Sao Paulo has seen plenty of hail in thunderstorms, but the thick layer of ice which accumulated on this occasion was unusual. Snow has not been seen in Sao Paulo since at least the 1970s, and some sources say not since 1918.

Categories: Environment, Brazil.

Tags: Brazil, Hailstorm Brazil, Sao Paulo.

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Conqueror
Isn't this a “city” that's supposed to be hosting World Cup matches? And it's running out of water? Cancel the World Cup NOW!
May 20th, 2014 - 10:38 am 0
ilsen
At last! A small piece of good news for Brazil!
May 20th, 2014 - 02:11 pm 0
BritInBrazil
Um, not quite such good news, since the hail fell mostly in the urban area of Sao Paulo - not in the catchment area of the parched reservoirs to the north that supply water to some parts of the city.
May 21st, 2014 - 02:54 am 0

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