Large tennis-ball-sized hail damages vehicles, roofs and power lines in Paraguay

Large hailstones damaged vehicles, roofs and other structures and caused power outages in parts of Paraguay’s capital Asuncion and surrounding cities on Saturday night, October 3, as heavy rain and strong winds swept across the region.

The storm struck at about 7.15pm local time with hail covering roads and open areas within minutes. Some hailstones were reported to have been as large as ping-pong or tennis balls.

Residents shared images and videos on social media showing streets and other areas covered in hail. Several posts described the storm as one of the strongest they had witnessed.

Areas of Asuncion including Santa Ana, Barrio Obrero, Pinos and the city centre were among those affected. Hail and severe weather were also reported in nearby cities in the Central Department, including Ñemby, Fernando de la Mora, San Lorenzo, Lambaré and Luque.

Damage to vehicles and buildings

The hail and strong winds caused damage to cars and buildings, with some vehicles dented and windscreens broken by the falling ice. Metal and fibre-cement roofs were also damaged, while strong winds brought down trees.

Local newspaper Hoy reported that the main damage was concentrated on "broken windscreens, dented roofs and structures damaged by the force and size of the hailstones", in line with the severe weather forecast issued ahead of the storm.

Al Jazeera reported that large hailstones pounded parts of Asuncion, breaking windows and denting cars as heavy rain and strong winds swept across the country.

The storm was accompanied by wind gusts of around 100 km per hour. Paraguay's Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) had forecast a storm system affecting particularly the country's Eastern Region, with a high probability of isolated severe weather, moderate to heavy rain, hail and wind gusts of around or above 100 km per hour.

Electricity outages reported

The storm also disrupted electricity supplies across Asuncion and surrounding areas.

Paraguay's National Electricity Administration (ANDE) activated an emergency response following the storm and deployed an additional 40 repair teams to accelerate the restoration of electricity to affected residents.

DW, citing ANDE, reported that 58 23,000-volt power lines that went out of service during Saturday afternoon and evening had been affected, with 39 restored at the time of the report. The outage figures cited by The Bridge Media said 61 power lines had experienced disruptions, with 13 still out of service after initial repairs.

ANDE said it had activated a yellow code to provide "immediate and continuous attention" to users who had lost electricity.

Football match briefly delayed

The storm also affected a football match at Ricardo Gregor Stadium in Asuncion, where Deportivo Recoleta were due to play Libertad.

According to The Bridge Media, heavy rain and hail forced the start of the match to be delayed. Stadium workers cleared accumulated hail from the pitch and removed floodwater from the playing area before the match could proceed.

The game eventually began at 7.30pm local time after the pitch had been cleared and treated.

Meteorological explanation

DMH director Eduardo Mingo told radio station Ñandutí that the storm was "typical of the season" during spring in the Southern Cone, although he said its intensity and the hail could have been "amplified" by the influence of the El Niño phenomenon.

The severe-weather alert had warned of intense rainfall and wind gusts approaching 100 km per hour, alongside the possibility of hail in affected areas.