http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26576613#
14 March 2014 Last updated at 07:46 ET
Eritrea: Hail storm dumps metre of ice on capital News from Elsewhere... ...as
found by BBC Monitoring
A freak rain storm has dumped as much as 1m (3ft) of hail on Asmara,
capital of Eritrea, in what appears to be the heaviest rainfall ever
recorded there.
This week's storm lasted just 90 minutes, but afterwards parts of the city
were completely blocked by ice, government-run newspaper Hadas Eritrea
reports <
http://50.7.16.234/hadas-eritrea/haddas_ertra_13032014.pdf>.
Footage on local television shows streets running with water, and vehicles
buried under the hail.
It is by far the heaviest rain ever recorded in the Eritrean capital, the
newspaper says. A BBC Monitoring journalist in Nairobi adds that while hail
is not unknown in Asmara at this time of year, this week's storm has
surprised residents with its intensity.
Eritrea, situated on the Horn of Africa, experiences a short rainy season
between February and April, known locally as the "belg" or little rains,
followed by a main rainy season between June and September. Average annual
rainfall is 61cm (24 inches).
Received on Fri Mar 14 2014 - 11:40:56 EDT