The destructive hailstorm that swept through Masvingo Town and surrounding rural areas on Monday was driven by a combination of intense heat and an influx of atmospheric moisture, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has indicated.
The storm brought large hailstones, heavy rainfall, lightning and strong winds, leaving residents counting the cost of damage to property and crops.
According to the MSD, the severe weather developed when intense surface heating caused warm air to rise rapidly, creating powerful updrafts in the atmosphere.
“The country has been experiencing erratic weather and very hot, isolated temperatures,” the MSD said, explaining that the extreme ground heating contributed to the rapid upward movement of warm air.
The situation was intensified by a plume of atmospheric moisture that moved into Zimbabwe from neighbouring Botswana.
“When this moisture collided with the extreme localised heat, it triggered rapid convective development, resulting in violent heat storms,” the MSD said.
The powerful updrafts within the developing thunderclouds then provided the conditions necessary for large hailstones to form.
“The updrafts inside these convective clouds were powerful enough to keep ice and water suspended long enough to freeze into unusually large, destructive hailstones before gravity brought them down,” the department explained.
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The violent weather has raised concerns over the likelihood of similar storms occurring in other parts of the country as Zimbabwe transitions into the main rainy season.
The MSD has warned that severe thunderstorms remain possible, with storms potentially accompanied by hail, lightning, heavy downpours of more than 30mm and strong winds.
The department said the threat of violent storms was expected to persist until Wednesday, urging the public to remain vigilant.
Residents have also been advised against seeking shelter under trees during thunderstorms because of the risk of lightning strikes and falling branches.
The Masvingo storm comes during a transitional period between the dry winter season and the main summer rainfall season, when rapid changes in atmospheric conditions can trigger intense thunderstorms.
The MSD said such violent thundershowers were not unusual during this period.]
“These types of violent thundershowers are a normal occurrence during the transitional stage between winter and the main rainy season,” the department said.
The prospect of further storms is heightened by forecasts pointing to normal to above-normal rainfall during the coming season, potentially providing favourable conditions for the development of powerful storm cells.
Authorities have urged communities to closely monitor official weather forecasts and warnings and to take precautions whenever thunderstorms develop.a
The Civil Protection Unit and local authorities are also expected to provide updates on emergency response and relief efforts in areas affected by the storm.
