Growers in Lleida were surprised last Tuesday night by a hailstorm that has affected more than 9,300 hectares of crops in Pla d'Urgell and La Noguera, according to data from the Council of Agriculture of Catalonia.
The storm arrived with heavy rains accompanied by hail and strong winds that caused damage of between 15 and 80% to approximately 1,000 hectares of apples and pears, whose harvest was currently in full swing.
With similar percentages, there were also damage to around 50 hectares of stonefruit, but later the Council admitted that in some areas the damage has reached 100%. In some areas, the strong winds even uprooted trees.
"Many of the areas affected were protected with anti-hail nets, although when the storm comes with such strong wind gusts, hail hit the crops in all directions. The damage would have been much more severe without these protection systems," they report.
The director of Agriculture of Lleida, Ferran de Noguera, explained that the storm started in the area of La Noguera and moved towards the Pla d'Urgell, where hailstones of about 3 centimetres in diameter were collected.
The most damaged crops were cereals, especially corn. About 4,300 hectares of corn are estimated to have suffered damage ranging between 20 and 50%. There have also been around 3,100 hectares of forage affected with damage oscillating between 5 and 25%.
Besides the crops, damage has also been caused to roofs and other facilities.