2024-03-11 17:26:34
The inhabitants of Balessing, a small town nestled not far from Penka Michel in the Menoua department, experienced an extraordinary moment on March 7, 2024. As exclusively reported by 237online.com, a torrential rain fell on the village around 2 p.m., bringing down with it impressive quantities of hailstones, transforming the landscape into a setting worthy of the highest snow-capped peaks.
An unreal scene that fascinates young and old ????❄️
Faced with this spectacle, as sudden as it was unexpected, the entire community found itself outside, eyes wide and smartphones in hand. Everyone wanting to immortalize this magical moment when the sky seemed to pour whole buckets of “ snow » on their heads. The children, amazed, rushed into the streets to play with this cold and compact material, while the adults watched, in disbelief, as their buckets usually intended for the sale of food products filled with hailstones.
Balessing, new epicenter of hailstorms? ????️????️
Although the phenomenon is surprising in its intensity, it is not so rare in the region. Already in September 2021, the neighboring town of Bana had experienced a similar episode, with two successive waves of hail covering the regional road and a large part of the vegetation with a thick white coat. An event which had already aroused the curiosity and wonder of local populations, unaccustomed to such meteorological events.
Hail, a natural phenomenon still poorly understood ❄️????
But what causes these sudden and impressive hailstorms? If some see it as a divine sign or a manifestation of the anger of the ancestors, meteorological experts have a more down-to-earth explanation. According to them, this is a phenomenon linked to the accumulation of hailstones in the clouds, favored by particular temperature and humidity conditions. A natural phenomenon that is still poorly understood, but which tends to be repeated more and more frequently in the mountainous areas of western Cameroon.
Limited impact on agricultural activities ????????
Fortunately, despite their spectacular appearance, these hailstorms appear to have a limited impact on agricultural activities in the region. Generally occurring at the end of the harvest, they cause only minimal damage to crops, according to local agricultural services. Good news for farmers in Balessing and the surrounding area, who can continue to work peacefully despite the vagaries of the weather.
Global warming, an aggravating factor? ????️????
But beyond the anecdotal aspect of these hailstorms, it is the question of climate change that arises implicitly. Because if the phenomenon is not new in itself, its frequency and intensity seem to be increasing over the years. A worrying trend, which could be linked to global warming of the planet and the resulting change in precipitation patterns. A major challenge for Cameroon and for the whole world, which calls for urgent awareness and concrete actions to preserve our environment.
In the meantime, the inhabitants of Balessing will remember this day like no other, where the sky offered them a spectacle as beautiful as it was ephemeral. And you can count on 237online.com, your reference online media, to keep you informed of all the exceptional weather events that punctuate life in our regions. Because in Cameroon more than elsewhere, nature knows how to surprise and amaze us.