Macao experienced a hailstorm on Tuesday night, the first to be recorded since 2011 according to the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (also known by its Portuguese initials SMG).
According to the department, a rainstorm warning was issued at 7:25 pm before another alert was raised at 8:45 pm to warn residents of the possibility of hail and the need to remain indoors.
By 9:21 pm, various areas around Macao saw the onset of hail, with social media posts showing ice pellets raining on the city. Video clips also showed a mesovortex – an intense rotation of wind – developing over the sea to the east of the Macao peninsula, which was confirmed by the SMG.
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The bureau said that a low-pressure trough was the cause of the unstable weather, which also included heavy rainfall, violent winds and lightning strikes.
Volatile weather may continue for another few days, with the possibility of a thunderstorm on Sunday, meteorologists said.
Hailstorms are very rare in Macao, with the SMG noting that there were only four recorded cases of hail between 1952 and 2011.
