By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 20: Residents in the Jalan Sungai Tengah housing area in Matang were treated to a rare weather phenomenon when a brief hail shower fell in the neighbourhood, despite the ongoing hot, dry weather and worsening haze affecting the city.
Videos of the unusual event quickly went viral on Sarawak Edition social media, showing small hailstones pelting rooftops, roads and parked vehicles for several minutes before melting away.
Many residents expressed surprise at witnessing hail in Kuching, where such occurrences are uncommon due to the tropical climate.
The hail shower occurred as air quality in Kuching remained at unhealthy levels, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) reportedly reaching 193 amid persistent transboundary haze affecting large parts of Sarawak.
While hail is rare in Sarawak, it can occur when intense thunderstorms develop under extremely hot and unstable atmospheric conditions. Strong updrafts within thunderclouds can carry water droplets high into colder parts of the atmosphere, where they freeze into ice before falling to the ground as hail.
With the haze blanketing much of the city and reducing visibility, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) warned that the hot and dry weather is expected to persist in parts of Sarawak, while haze conditions remain dependent on rainfall patterns and regional wind movements. — DayakDaily
