Residents in Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s most populous cities, were gobsmacked when they awoke to find two meters of hailstones piled up in the streets overnight.
The area has experienced average summer temperatures of 31 degrees celsius in recent days prior to the two meter-deep bombardment of hailstones.
“Well, I’ve never seen it before,” said Jalisco’s state governor Enrique Alfaro. “Hailstones that look like snow. And then we ask ourselves ‘does climate change exist?’” Authorities deployed heavy machinery to clear the icy buildup in at least six city neighborhoods.
Some 200 homes and businesses reported damage though there were no injuries registered. Two people reportedly showed preliminary signs of hypothermia, however.
While many were stunned by the highly unusual phenomenon, others took the opportunity to pillory the governor for his inaction in updating the city’s drainage and infrastructure.
“Climate change exists but let’s be honest, it’s an area that floods regularly. The hailstones would not have accumulated in such a way if proper stormwater drainage systems were in place. The same thing happened two years ago,” wrote one frustrated Twitter commentator.
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