A heavy hail storm has hit the North of Thailand affecting Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai Province. The hail storm started in Chiang Rai at around 20.00 on 28 December 2019 alongside heavy rain and wild winds. 3 main districts were hit in Chiang Rai including Mae Sai District, Chiang Saen District, and Mae Chun District. Villagers in the area are dealing with damaged homes, farms were destroyed, and broken trees have fallen onto the roads. The storm also caused power outages across all 3 districts.
Pictures have gone viral online showing large piles of hail all over Chiang Rai. The hail is about 2 centimeters in diameter. Powerful enough to have destroyed hundreds of roofs and even more crops taking millions away from farmers’ annual earnings.
In Chiangmai province, there was a hail storm with heavy rain in many districts including Doilor District and Mae Wang District that received the most damage from the natural disaster. On the evening of 29 December, 2019 villagers and tourists in Doilor District were amazed to see hail falls that created a sea of white ice. The same incident took place in Mae Wang where many parked their cars in excitement waiting for the hails to fall so they could witness the storm and to upload the evidence on social media.
Police Colonel Piyapan Pattarapongsin from the Chiang Mai Police Station gave orders to the Mae Wang Traffic Police to keep watch of the roads for safety as many citizens parked their cars waiting for the storm after they heard the weather forecast. Officials made sure to protect the area in prevention from any unwanted accidents. Komsan Suwarnampha the Chiang Mai Vice-governor was able to record the hail storm on his phone while he was under a tent on the way to Doi Inthanon National Park in Jomthong District. He was on his way to visit citizens and tourists. It is reported that in Mae Wang District at least 10 roofs have been destroyed and 20 Rai of land used in farming has been damaged as a result of the hail storm. The damage is still being accessed in other districts across Chiang Mai Province.
