Tennis ball-sized hailstones batter Paraguay capital, smash windshields and rooftops

A powerful storm battered Paraguay’s capital Asunción and surrounding cities on Saturday, unleashing unusually large hailstones that smashed car windshields, damaged roofs and left thousands of residents dealing with power disruptions. Some of the hailstones were reported to be comparable in size to tennis balls, while the storm was accompanied by intense rain and wind gusts approaching 100 kmph in some areas.

Videos shared during the storm showed large chunks of ice striking streets, buildings and vehicles with considerable force as residents rushed for shelter. In several areas, roads and gardens were covered in ice within minutes, while motorists sought refuge in covered parking spaces to protect their vehicles.

Cars bear the brunt

Vehicles were among the most visibly affected by the hailstorm, with numerous reports of shattered windshields, dented bonnets and damaged body panels. Roofs, tiles, commercial structures and outdoor installations were also damaged as the intense burst of hail swept through parts of the metropolitan region.

Asunción neighbourhoods including Santa Ana, Barrio Obrero and Pinozá were among the affected areas, while damage was also reported in neighbouring Ñemby, Fernando de la Mora, San Lorenzo, Lambaré, Luque and other communities in the Central department.

The hailstorm was brief in some areas but extremely intense. Residents posted images showing unusually large pieces of ice collected after the storm, with some comparing them with tennis balls and others reporting smaller pieces closer to ping-pong ball size.

Power network hit

The severe weather also disrupted Paraguay’s electricity network. The country’s National Electricity Administration reported dozens of 23,000-volt distribution lines being knocked out as the storm swept through the region, affecting parts of Asunción and several neighbouring communities.

Additional emergency crews were deployed to restore supply, with the utility reporting that most affected lines had been brought back into service during the first hours of Sunday. Fallen trees, flooded streets and storm damage complicated restoration work in some locations.

Severe weather warning

Paraguay’s meteorological authorities had warned of strong to severe thunderstorms accompanied by intense electrical activity, powerful wind gusts and a high probability of hail. Weather alerts covered several departments as unstable conditions moved across the country.

Meteorological officials said hailstorms are not unusual during spring in the Southern Cone, when warm and humid air can combine with colder air higher in the atmosphere to produce powerful thunderstorms. What made Saturday’s event particularly striking was the size of the hailstones and the damage they caused across densely populated areas.

How does hail become so large?

Large hail forms inside powerful thunderstorms when strong upward-moving currents, known as updrafts, carry water droplets high into extremely cold parts of a storm cloud. The droplets freeze and can repeatedly move through areas containing supercooled water, accumulating additional layers of ice.

The stronger the updraft, the longer a developing hailstone can remain suspended inside the cloud and the larger it can become. Eventually, the ice becomes too heavy for the rising air to support and falls towards the ground, sometimes at speeds capable of causing significant damage to vehicles, buildings and crops.

In particularly intense thunderstorms, hailstones can grow to several centimetres across. Once they approach tennis-ball dimensions, their combination of size, weight and falling speed can make them especially destructive.

Damage assessment continues

Authorities and residents were assessing the extent of the damage on Sunday, particularly to vehicles, homes and electricity infrastructure. No widespread reports of serious casualties had emerged in the immediate aftermath of the storm, despite the size of the hail and the force with which it struck populated areas.

The episode left Asunción and its surrounding metropolitan region with dramatic images of shattered glass, dented vehicles and streets covered in ice, illustrating how a relatively short-lived severe thunderstorm can cause extensive damage within minutes.