Baseball-Sized Hail Strikes Suddenly in Brazil: 152 Hospitalized and Schools Closed

Baseball-Sized Hailstones Hit Erechim in Southern Brazil
Heavy Rain and Wind Bring 20 Minutes of Damage
152 Residents Treated, Hundreds of Homes Reported Damaged

In southern Brazil, hailstones the size of baseballs pelted the region, causing damage to residents. On the 24th (local time), Yonhap News reported, "According to the government of Rio Grande do Sul state and the authorities in Erechim, strong rain accompanied by hail fell in Erechim for about 20 minutes the previous afternoon." On the same day, more than 100 people in the neighboring state of Paran? reported damage to their homes due to sudden hail.

The scene of large hailstones that fell in Erechim, southern Brazil, on the 24th (local time). Photo by Surajit Ex

This hail was strong enough to break tree branches and damage power lines. Reports indicated property damage such as roofs and walls being destroyed at 35 schools and hundreds of homes in the city. Additionally, 152 residents were treated at hospitals after being struck by hailstones or debris from buildings broken by the hail, including injuries to the head and other parts of the body.

Hail pouring down in Brazil. Volcaholic X

Videos shared by citizens on social media showed holes punched through the rear windows of vehicles and hail covering lawns in white. Local media outlet G1 reported, "About 25,900 people from 6,400 households were affected, and 12 medical facilities were also impacted."

On the same day, Paulo Polis, the mayor of Erechim, stated on his social media, "Most schools were closed today due to structural damage," and added, "We urgently distributed emergency plastic covers to support families whose roofs were damaged." It was also reported that Eduardo Leite, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, approved emergency aid of 500,000 reais (approximately 400 million won).

The appearance of vehicles damaged by hail. Photo by Noticiero El Salvador

Earlier this month, massive hail also struck other parts of South America, including Brazil and Paraguay, destroying crops and causing hundreds of homes to collapse. In some regions, torrential rain and gusts exceeding 50 kilometers per hour accompanied the hail, and rainwater entered through roofs broken by the hail, leading to flooding and power outages.

Hail is a weather phenomenon in which pieces of ice form in humid clouds such as cumulonimbus clouds and fall to the ground after growing too heavy for the updrafts in the clouds to support. When atmospheric instability strengthens the updrafts, hail can remain in the clouds for an extended period and grow into what is known as "giant hailstones."