Hailstorms Pound Tokyo, Japan and Valencia, Spain

Hailstorms Pound Tokyo, Japan and Valencia, Spain

A couple of unusually severe hailstorms have occurred recently, one that struck Tokyo on June 24th and another in Valencia, Spain on July 1st.

Tokyo, Japan

The Tokyo hailstorm was said to be the most intense to strike Japan since an even more damaging storm hit the Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures on May 24, 2000 (that event damaged over 4000 homes). In Tokyo last June the hail fell for about 30 minutes and stones up to 3 cm (1”) in diameter accumulated up to 10 cm (4”) in depth on level in the city’s Mitaka area. Very heavy rain accompanied the storm with 68 mm (2.68”) falling in just one hour in the Chofu City section of Tokyo.





A couple of images from the Tokyo hailstorm of June 24th. In the lower image, hail was washed into drifts several feet deep in some city streets that were lower than surrounding areas. Photos via Tweets to Rocket News 24, Tokyo.

The severe thunderstorms that caused the hail, flooding rains, and intense lightning (three people were struck and injured) was caused by extreme instability in the atmosphere with very cold temperatures aloft, warm surface temperatures and a strong jet stream streak passing over the island nation.



This storm analysis map was prepared by JMA, Japan’s Meteorological Agency.

Valencia and Murcia Provinces, Spain

Other violent hailstorms struck the Valencia and Murcia Provinces in southern Spain on June 24th as well as on the afternoon of July 1st. Hail the size of golf balls damaged 45,000 hectares of agricultural land (mostly fruits and melons) in Valencia and 12,000 hectares in Murcia. In Valencia an estimated 60-100% of the citrus, persimmon, melon, and stone fruit crops were destroyed according to the Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-ASAJA).

Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian