What the hail! What to do if you are caught in a hailstorm

By CARSIFU | 16 June 2016


PETALING JAYA: What should you do if you are caught in a hailstorm? Although it's rare, hailstones do happen in Malaysia, what with the unpredictable climate and global warming caused by human activities.

Hailstorms can strike at any time of the year, with little notice, and will create treacherous driving conditions immediately. A car’s grip on the road and a driver's ability to see are reduced, leading to a tendency to lose control of the car.

If you are caught in a hailstorm, pull over to a safe place so that the likelihood of the hail breaking the windscreen is reduced. Whenever possible, park under a bridge or canopy to minimise damage to your car. If you do decide to pull over, stay in your car. Hail falls at high speeds and can cause injuries.

Should you and your vehicle be unable to find shelter from a bridge or any protective structure, park your car angled so that the hail will hit the front as the windscreen is reinforced and will be better able to withstand the pelting from a hailstorm. Glass in the side windows and rear screen are not as strong and would be damaged more easily.

On June 3, the Klang Valley was hit by a hailstorm. The Malaysian Meteorological Department recorded 60.2mm of rainfall between 4pm and 7pm in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor during the freak storm. Strong winds of up to 46.8kph was also recorded at 5pm.

According to the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, hailstorms in Malaysia are not uncommon but they are usually localised and last less than 20 minutes.

storm


The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report indicated that moisture availability in the atmosphere increases as global warming intensifies. With the availability of both heat and moisture in a future warmer climate, there may be a higher likelihood in the increase of storm frequency and intensity in bigger cities.

The word "hail" (frozen rain) together with its German and Dutch relative "hagel", comes from the prehistoric West Germanic word "hagalaz", which is related to the Greek word "kákhlex", which means "pebble".

Hailstones consist mostly of water ice and measure between 5mm and 15cm in diameter. Hail is different from sleet because sleet falls in cold weather while hailstones grow much bigger when surface temperatures are higher.

Hail has the potential to damage millions of dollars worth of property and crop damage. The costliest hailstorm happened in April 2001, from eastern Kansas to southwest Illinois. Property damage exceeded US$2.4bil.

Tennis ball-sized hail fell on Munich and surrounding areas on July 12, 1984. It was the greatest loss event in the history of the German insurance industry: 200,000 cars were damaged and the storm cost an estimated US$142mil. For years afterwards, people jokingly referred to those cars whose bodywork was not repaired as "Munich Design".

> Tips adapted from GEM Motoring Assist

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