Extra large hailstones devastate Rubielos de Mora, Spain

A devastating hail storm with hail larger than tennis balls hit the Spanish tourist town of Rubielos de Mora in Aragón's province of Teruel on Sunday, July 23, 2017, destroying roofs, windows, and cars. The towns mayor and oldest residents say they have never witnessed such violent hailstorm.

The hailstorm was brief but very intense. It lasted about 12 minutes, starting just after 17:15 local time.

"The storm destroyed roofs, windows and parked cars, and left trees without leaves," the mayor of Rubielos de Mora, Angel Gracia said. The City Council is still assessing the damage that occurred in what is now declared an area of special attention, formerly known as a disaster zone.

The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) said the storm brought heavy rain, up to 28 mm (1.1 inches) within 30 minutes, wind gusts up to 90 km/h (56 mph), and hail stones up to 8 cm (3.1 inches) in diameter.

Although with less devastating effects, intense hail storm also hit other municipalities of Aragón, like Alcañiz and Castellote.

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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