You know how sometimes it rains so hard that your umbrella flips inside out and the insides of your rain boots get wet?
Well imagine that, but times 10. In Pescara, Abbruzzo — a region just a little northeast of Rome — this past Wednesday, residents experienced a freak hailstorm with hailstones THE SIZE OF ORANGES.
Residents are calling them "ice bullets."
Many people injured, the city is in state of emergency. Here is the glass of my car, broken by these ice bullets...as well as the roof of the university. I could never imagine something like this can happen, surely not here in #Pescara #Italy #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency
I'm stressed just looking at 'em.
And honestly, the local media is not exaggerating. They really are the size of oranges, if not grapefruits.
This was the GIGANTIC hail from extreme #hailstorm in #Pescara, Italy this afternoon 10th July! Report; @Frente_atlantic #severeweather #extremeweather
Mother Earth MAD.
Up to 18 people were seriously injured.
Flash flooding accompanied the extreme hailstorm this afternoon 10th July in #Pescara, Italy! Video via @3BMeteo #SevereThunderstormWarning #extremeweather #Flood
...parking lots and cars were flooded.
#pescara #parcheggio #ospedale #allagamenti #maltempo #grandine
...and windows everywhere were shattered.
Chicchi di grandine come palle da tennis a Pescara.
One resident said she hadn't seen anything like it in her 62 years of living in the region.
Grandine a #PESCARA
"If the hail hit your head, I'm certain it would've opened it up like a watermelon," Assunta del Rosso told a local paper.
Is... Is this the apocalypse?
Hailstones the size of oranges and heavy rain battered the eastern coast of Italy, Wednesday, July 10, injuring 18 people and flooding the central streets of the city of Pescara. (AP)
Based on the gravity of the situation, the president of the regional council declared a state of emergency.
In Abruzzo il maltempo ha messo in ginocchio le città sulla costa ed in particolare Pescara, dove sono caduti chicchi di grandine come arance. Il Governo riconosca lo Stato di emergenza nazionale. Sono vicino alla mia città, sono vicino alla mia Regione.
Though, as they said, there's only so much their fire department can do until the rain stops. Thanks, climate change.
Life is cancelled for everyone in Pescara, Italy.
Yesterday in #Pescara #Abruzzo #Italy, few minutes after the storm began. #climatechange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency https://t.co/lYm9LiCm1A
And this is after Europe's week of hellish temperatures. OOOOOOFFFFF.