Rare July hail falls on Alishan

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) A rare barrage of hailstones fell on Alishan on Monday, stunning many visitors to the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in southern Chiayi County.

Ice pellets of about 0.9 centimeters fell unexpectedly between 2:04 p.m. and 2:18 p.m., according to the Alishan observation station of the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The hail near the Jhaoping station on the Alishan Forest Railway line lasted even longer, until around 2:40 p.m., the station said.

Many visitors to the forest recreational area and passengers riding on trains in the area were quick to get out their phones or cameras and snap shots of the rare scene, workers at the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office told CNA.

The CWA weather station, which said the temperature on Alishan at the time was 19.7 degrees Celsius, attributed the hail to a cold-core low pressure system that was passing over Taiwan.

The presence of the system increased the temperature difference between the upper atmosphere and warm surface temperatures, leading to the development of convective currents that can lead to thunderstorms and the formation of hail, it said.