Unprecedented strong winds, hailstorms cause huge damage in 2 provinces
Hailstorms wreaked havoc in Uttaradit and Nong Bua Lamphu provinces on Friday evening, causing power outages and damaging hundreds of houses.
The Uttaradit Hospital was forced to move its patients out of an inpatient ward after its glass windows were shattered by strong winds, allowing rainwater to get in.
A local durian market in Uttaradit’s Muang district that had opened for business just three days ago was severely damaged by a storm. Many tents and booths were destroyed.
Durian vendor Kanpirom Dapa said that more than 50 booths were “smashed” by the storm, adding that her 50,000-baht investment in her durian shop was gone.
“This is the strongest storm I have seen in 50 years of my life. It’s really terrifying,” she said.
Hailstorms were reported in Muang and Laplae districts of the northern province. Many houses in the municipal area were damaged by strong winds.
Power poles felled during the storm led to outages in a large area of the city.
In the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu, heavy downpours and hailstorms hit four districts – Na Klang, Suwan Khuha, Si Boonruang, and Non Sang – affecting more than 750 households.
A resident was injured, according to local officials.
The roofs of many houses were blown away by the strong winds, which also felled electricity poles and cut off high-voltage power lines, leading to widespread outages.
Local residents said they had never experienced such strong storms in their lives. A homeowner named Kongsi reported the sighting of hails “as large as my fist”, adding that some of them went through the roof of her house.
Kampa, another local resident, said the roof of her house was totally blown away by a strong whirlwind. “I had never seen such a strong wind in my life. It was scary,” she said.
