Posted on 03/16/2014 1:01:58 PM PDT by Errant
The storm lasted just 90 minutes, but afterwards parts of Asmara, capital of Eritrea, were completely blocked by ice, government-run newspaper Hadas Eritrea reports.
A freak rain storm has dumped as much as 1m (3ft) of hail on Asmara, capital of Eritrea, in what appears to be the heaviest rainfall ever recorded there.
This week's storm lasted just 90 minutes, but afterwards parts of the city were completely blocked by ice, government-run newspaper Hadas Eritrea reports. Footage on local television shows streets running with water, and vehicles buried under the hail.
It is by far the heaviest rain ever recorded in the Eritrean capital, the newspaper says. A BBC Monitoring journalist in Nairobi adds that while hail is not unknown in Asmara at this time of year, this week's storm has surprised residents with its intensity.
Eritrea, situated on the Horn of Africa, experiences a short rainy season between February and April, known locally as the "belg" or little rains, followed by a main rainy season between June and September. Average annual rainfall is 61cm (24 inches).
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Thanks for the map,, had wondering where it was.
Biblical proportions.
Paging Al Gore. Some people are ready to believe in climate change in Eritrea.
The country of Eritrea was an Italian colony and the name is the Italian version of the ancient Greek word for the Red Sea.
An extended family of Eritreans lives on my street and attends my church.
That pretty well sums it up.
.... “rain storm has dumped as much as 1m (3ft) of hail”. Uh, I believe we might refer to it as a hail storm. I remember driving towards Muleshoe TX one
summer right after a huge thunderstorm went through and noticed it was getting very cool outside and topping a rise saw hail about 6” deep for a long way. Spooky feeling to it. Mother natures air conditioner.
Just north of “shake djibouti”, it looks like.
One meter and 3 feet are not the same thing idiots
“One meter and 3 feet are not the same thing idiots”
Close enough.
If you want precise: 1 metre = 39.3700787 inches.
For the purposes of the news article, I think that 3 feet is close enough. Besides, I doubt that EXACTLY 1.00000 metres of hail fell, it could have been that only 0.914400001 metres of hail fell in which case, it was EXACTLY 3 feet of hail.
Quibble over 3 inches?
Holy cow!
It was small hail judging from the lack of damage on the truck in the second picture.
Frogs come next.
#17 :-)
yet in az we still bake. no even “one week of freezing our arse off”.
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