ILOILO CITY -- The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has confirmed the occurrence of a tornado and a hailstorm in Barangay Lanag, Sta. Barbara on Tuesday afternoon.
PDRRM Officer Jerry Bionat said the tornado with hailstones occurred for a few minutes only in the area. The hailstones were as small as human nails and immediately melted.
The tornado, though, has left one structure destroyed and another one partially damaged.
Bionat said that the occurrence was normal although it seems uncommon to the people as they do not have the proper knowledge about weather conditions as it is not being taught in schools.
He added that tornadoes always happen in Iloilo, in fact there are cities or barangays that are on the tornado alley.
Tornadoes had been happening ever since in different municipalities of Iloilo and so the PDRRMO expects it to happen every year, said Bionat.
Meantime, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said that hailstorm occurs in areas where there is intense thunderstorm.
If the freezing point of the clouds is at 10 kilometers below the ground, there would be formation of ice crystals that will develop into a hailstorm.
Hailstorm would not last due to fast evaporation. It will run from 30 minutes to one hour, said Pag-asa weather observer Charlie Depra. (Jessa Mae Padilla and Marvin Mongao, WVSU-OJTs/PNA)
