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On This Day in 1888: India Hailstorm

April 29, 2021
By WeatherBug's Christopher Smith
When thinking of a location with large hail, your mind may pop to somewhere in the Plains, such as Texas. However, hail can occur all around the world, and on this day in 1888, one of the deadliest hailstorms struck India.

On April 30, 1888, Moradabad, India, a city located in the northern area of the nation, was the center of a devastating hailstorm. Raining down from the sky, hail ranging from the size of a goose-egg, about 3 inches in length, to the size of oranges, pelted down on the town below, causing harm to everything in its path.

In total, 230 people are to have died in Moradabad, India, alone. Most of the deaths were a direct cause of people being unable to find shelter from the hail that delt catastrophic blows.

Besides humans, up to 1,600 livestock such as sheep and cattle were also killed due to the large hail. Within a few miles of the cities, windows were smashed out of most buildings and roofs were damaged to the point they collapsed.

Back in the late 1800s, there were not nearly as many meteorological instruments or forecasting tools to verify or predict such a hailstorm with great accuracy. The main account of the hailstorm arises from Sir John Eliot, who went on to become India’s first Director General of Meteorology. Eliot stated that northern and central India were in an abnormal period of very intense weather when the hailstorm of 1888 terrorized Moradabad, India.

Hopefully, today’s improved weather forecasting and infrastructure would avoid another tragedy like the April 30, 1888, India hailstorm.

Source: Arizona State University/World Meteorological Organization