Hailstorm In Cheras During Haze Season Has M’sians Declaring “Winter Is Here”

Hailstorm showers hailstones over Cheras

Malaysians are accustomed to 2 types of weather in our tropical climate – the blistering heat and heavy bouts of rainfall. So when hailstorms are thrown into the mix, we’re often left puzzled by the sweater weather and sight of falling lumps of ice, known as hailstones, hitting our windows and the ground.

That’s what happened yesterday, 3rd March 2021. Those living in Cheras were treated to an unusual hailstorm from heavy rainfall reported in the area in the evening, with many taking to their social media accounts to share photos of the phenomenon.

Colder temperatures in Cheras sees hailstorm in the area

Hailstorms are not part of the usual weather forecast in Malaysia, even in towns where sweater weather is common, like Genting Highlands. So when it was reported that Cheras was experiencing hail, “Cheras” became a trending topic on Twitter, with netizens abuzz over hailstones they picked up from the ground in the evening.

Twitter user @MimiiYasmin shared a photo of hailstones she saw near her office in Cheras
Image credit: @MimiiYasmin

Weather reports in Cheras from Weather.my showed a dip in temperature from 32°C at 5PM, to an average of 27°C from 6PM until midnight, with gusty winds and heavy rainfalls recorded.

Hailstorm in Cheras - hailstone
Video adapted from: @nas_gunsmoke

Netizens on Facebook and Twitter have been sharing videos of the situation, showing chunks of irregularly shaped ice cubes, some pretty large in size, hitting windows and the ground. While some living in the area reported that the hailstorm only lasted a few minutes, it was sufficient time to get Malaysians befuddled by the sight.

Twitter user @KajimSharibi, for one, tweeted that it was his first time seeing a hailstorm in real life, and that he was excited about it. He also shared a video of the scene, with hailstones seen falling from the skies and dotting a patch of grass.

Video adapted from: @KajimSharibi

Videos that other netizens have taken also showed visible clumps of hailstones falling like rain. The heavy thudding of hailstones hitting the ground heard in the videos is another good guess that it wasn’t the usual raindrops that we’re used to seeing.

Video credit: @nabilrossaidi

But while it’s exciting to see a hailstorm in a tropical country, the weather phenomenon brings with it some problems too. Some netizens have also been sharing the devastating aftermath of the rainfall and hailstorm around the same time – roofs of roadside stalls were blown over and zinc roofs that have flown off hit cars parked on the roads and carparks, showing just how strong winds were at the time.

Image credit: @melvinvineeth

Haze season is back, according to MetMalaysia

Hailstones showering over Cheras is puzzling, no doubt. But what’s more puzzling is that this occurred after MetMalaysia’s announcement that haze season is officially back in Malaysia due to hot temperatures and the lack of rainfall in the coming months, as reported by Malay Mail.

But this is not the first instance of hailstorms occurring during haze season. During the 2013 haze crisis in Southeast Asia, with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand facing one of the worst haze seasons, hailstorms were reported in Singapore too.

Hailstorm in Cheras leaves netizens puzzled

Those who were born and raised in Malaysia will admit to complaining about the hot weather even after years of living here. Cooler temperatures are always welcome, but it is a little puzzling to see a hailstorm hitting a tropical country like ours, especially during haze season. We hope that the monsoon rains – MetMalaysia has announced that the current monsoon season will last until mid-March – can alleviate the haze situation a little, and just to play safe, Malaysians are advised to stay at home as much as possible and load up on water at this time.