Hailstorms in Spain can be fierce!

There’s a good reason why garages fetch a premium price in hilltop towns

If ever you see the neighbours going out into the street with armfuls of blankets which are placed carefully over their vehicles, do the same.

There’s a very good reason why garage spaces fetch a “premium price” in Spanish hilltop towns and why many of the old properties tucked away in virtually inaccesible back streets  have been knocked out just to make a garage: hail.

In Spain certain weather conditions can create fierce, localised hailstorms, and these are mega hail storms of a ferocity very rarely seen in the UK. It is not unusual at all for the hailstones to be the size of golfballs, or, as can be seen in the image of hail which fell on Castellón province in July 2015, eggs.

The Ed first encountered a Spanish hailstorm while enjoying a bargain Menu del Día in a little hilltop town. Just as the plates changed from an excellent “guiso” of tender meat and sweet stewed beans to a great hunk of lamb pungent with roasted garlic gloves, a squeal came from the expats sitting at the neighbouring table as the streets outside were obscured by a curtain of plummeting white hailstones.

All attempts to dive outside and “do something” were fruitless and the old sages remained firmly in their seats playing dominoes as the newly purchased vehicle owned by the lady concerned was transformed from a pristine silky blue into something which vaguely resembled the surface of the moon within the space of just a few minutes.

As the force of the storm abated the young shot out of the door in search of the biggest hailstones, returning with drinking glasses filled to the brim with impressive specimens, the old sages continued playing dominoes and the by now hysterical expat lady walked around her car demanding to know who was going to do something about the state of her vehicle.

Meanwhile, those who had watched Spanish TV that morning and nodded wisely at the white rim around the grey clouds removed the thick blankets from their own vehicles as their wives returned pristine pot plants back into the street.

The Ed meanwhile, waited until it was safe to walk on the pavements, polished off a sweet Spanish rice pudding and a coffee before going to look at her own very old and battered ex army landrover, completely unconcerned about the extra dents as one or two more would make very little difference to the value.

Later on, the lady concerned requested assistance in proving that the storm had in fact taken place, asked by her insurance company to provide documentary evidence. If caught in a storm like this it’s highly advisable to obtain immediate photographic evidence while the hail is still on the ground and take copies of any media coverage of the storm as often these are so localised that they don´t even register on weather recording stations. If the storm has been recorded, Aemet, the state meteorological agency, will have it on record.

So next time you see local residents out in the streets with an armful of blankets and neighbours carrying in their pot plants, don´t ask why, just do the same.

And make sure your vehicle is insured!

Click for Insurance Agents Region of Murcia.

Image shared by Aemet