The risk of severe hailstorms at the beginning of summer is high this year, especially because the rainy season appears to be early.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
A storm swept across the Eastern Free State on Wednesday 24 September, with hail up to 10cm thick falling in places on a farm near Warden.
“I’ve never seen anything like this here,” said Tewie Wessels, a farmer from the district. Hail also fell over the district two weeks ago, but then it was light with small hailstones.
“The hail is still lying on our farmyard this morning (Thursday, September 25),” said Wessels.
He is very grateful for the 35mm of rain that fell with the hail, as it is very beneficial for the wheat, most of which is in the sedge stage. However, he said the hail has affected half of his wheat fields. Insurance assessors are yet to assess the damage.
According to Wessels, the past winter was one of the wettest he has ever experienced on the farm. “For June, July and August I had about 40mm of rain each month, and usually it rarely rains here in the winter.”
The hailstorm fell in a strip through the area and he is not yet aware of any serious damage that farmers in his area have suffered.
Hail and rain also fell in the areas of Reitz, Kroonstad and Parys, among others.
Also read: Tropical moisture could bring summer rain by the end of September
Two Systems
Johan van den Berg, independent agricultural meteorologist, says this stormy weather was the result of a cold front that moved in from the south of the country and mixed with tropical moisture, which moved down from the northern parts. “The Eastern Free State was here some of the strongest parts of the cold front and tropical moisture system came together.”
Van den Berg had previously warned the start of the summer season could be stormy, with a high risk of hail. The reason for this is that tropical moisture (which usually only occurs over the country later in the summer) started moving in over the country early, while cold fronts are still present and moving in from the south. There is a possibility that cold fronts could still move over the country until October.
Traditionally, hail and stormy weather occur at the beginning of summer when the seasons change and the weather systems can cause turbulent weather. Hail and stormy weather also sometimes occur towards the end of summer when the weather systems begin to change again with the winter ahead.
