Unprecedented Hail Storms Experienced In Parts Of The Valencian Community

Some parts of the Valencian Community were affected by rain and sudden hail storms this Tuesday, July 3.

According to AEMET, the State Meteorological Agency , the southern interior of Castellón was the first area to experience the torrent of hail. It later spread to the Serra d’Espadà region at around 4:40 pm.

As the experts explained, hailstones fall into four different types. These are:

Type 1: hail

Type 2: chickpea-size hailstone

Type 3: cherry-size hailstone

Type 4: walnut-sized hailstone or larger

Today’s hailstones, as pointed out by AEMET, were of Type 4, and unprecedented in the Community. ‘At the Valencia observatory and the airport, there is no record of type 4 hail (walnut-sized hail or larger) like the one reported that has been registered today in the city and metropolitan area’, they indicated in a tweet.

En el banco de datos climatológico de AEMET distinguimos cuatro tipos de granizo:
Tipo 1: granizo
Tipo 2: pedrisco tamaño de garbanzo
Tipo 3: pedrisco tamaño de cereza
Tipo 4: pedrisco tamaño nuez o mayor
Aunque ha habido variabilidad, el registrado hoy en València es de tipo 4.

— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) July 3, 2023

The storm gradually continued to the southeast, accompanied at times by lightning. Very intense rainfall hit the municipality of Montanejos. Almost 30mm fell in the space of one hour, of which total, around 20mm accumulated in just 10 minutes.

Rayos de la última hora. La tormenta se desplaza hacia el sureste. Proviene de l'Alt Millars, donde ha dejado precipitaciones muy intensas en Montanejos, con casi 30 mm en una hora, de los cuales casi 20 en 10 minutos. Ahora hay mucha actividad en la zona de Gaibiel. pic.twitter.com/nsafckCqJ8

— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) July 3, 2023

A tweet from the Ayuntamiento of Alpuente was accompanied by an image of enormous lumps of ice being held in a person’s hand – in July.

Translated to English, it read: ‘ 32.2 liters has been registered by the station of @avamet in #Alpuente and here is a sample of #granizo that has fallen…  @AEMET_CValencia @apuntoratge. To monitor the storm and parameters in real time you can consult the link’.

🌧️⛈️🌧️
32,2 litros ha registrado la estación de @avamet en #Alpuente y aquí una muestra del #granizo que ha caído…
🏓🧊@AEMET_CValencia @apuntoratge
Para hacer seguimiento de la tormenta y parámetros en tiempo real podéis consultar el enlace 👇👇https://t.co/21VteicXtq pic.twitter.com/JnPhmumDPw

— Alpuente (@AlpuenteA) July 3, 2023

At around 4:25 pm this afternoon, AEMET posted a satellite image showing the vast number of lightning strikes that had occurred across the Community.

It wrote: ‘This image represents the lightning strikes recorded in the last hour, both impacts on the ground (crosses and dashes) and intracloud (dots). The reds are the most recent, from the last 10 minutes. A lot of electrical activity in the south of Castellón and north of Valencia’.

En esta imagen se representan los rayos registrados en la última hora, tanto los impactos en tierra (cruces y guiones) como los intranube (puntos). Los rojos son los más recientes, de los últimos 10 minutos. Mucha actividad eléctrica en el sur de Castellón y norte de Valencia. pic.twitter.com/smRXZj3Efx

— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) July 3, 2023

Thunderstorms affected Valencia Airport as they travelled

AEMET reported that the hailstorms had reached Valencia and the metropolitan area by 6 pm. A strong hail storm with horizontal visibility of 1,000 meters and strong winds were subsequently reported by the airport.

Granizada con granizo de tamaño grande en València y área metropolitana.
El aeropuerto está notificando tormenta fuerte de granizo visibilidad horizontal de 1000 m y viento fuerte.

— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) July 3, 2023

A new meteorological risk bulletin was published late this afternoon which established the pre-emergency for orange-level rains and storms in the southern interior of Castellón and the northern coast of Valencia.

The northern interior and the coastal areas of Castellón and Valencia were also issued with a yellow alert.

Due to the inclement weather, Valencia City Council canceled the La Maria concert that was scheduled for tonight in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. It was planned as a part of the framework of the Polirítmia festival, as well as the programming of the city’s Fair.