By Hilda Austria/Philippine News Agency
ROSALES, Pangasinan — A severe thunderstorm accompanied by hailstorm was experienced in some parts of this town on Monday, which is a normal weather system this month and not related to the solar halo seen all over the province, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
Jose Estrada Jr., PAGASA Dagupan’s chief meteorological officer, said the thunderstorms, including hailstorm or tornado, are part of the natural weather system from March to May.
“The sudden change in the temperature with the accumulation of clouds would possibly result in a hailstorm or even tornado, which happened last year in Camiling (Tarlac),” he said.
Estrada noted that local thunderstorms are expected to be frequent since it is under the prevailing weather system.
He added the solar halo seen all over the province on Sunday is a phenomenon when the sun’s ray is reflected in the clouds high above the atmosphere and has nothing to do with the thunderstorms.
“The clouds are thinly inscribing the sun’s path (ray),” he said.
Meanwhile, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officer, Major Juanito Dela Cruz, said there were no reported injuries due to the severe thunderstorm in some parts of the town.
“Although some cars parked at a mall here were damaged after some of the parts of the mall’s wall cracked due to strong winds and rain and fell on some of the cars,” he said.
Dela Cruz disclosed that some of the eggplants and corns planted in the farmlands here were affected, but the effect is manageable.
He said this is the first time that the town experienced severe thunderstorm with the hailstorm that lasted for 15 to 20 minutes.
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