A storm accompanied by hail and small stones affected fruit crops in the Lleida plain on Monday afternoon. The weather event hit fruit trees during a key stage of development.
The Associació de Defensa Vegetal Terres de Ponent recorded impacts in seven municipalities across three counties. Technicians identified damage in Albesa, Algerri, and Castelló de Farfanya in La Noguera. Crops were also affected in Juneda and La Floresta in Les Garrigues, as well as in Gimenells and Alguaire in El Segrià.
Hailstones measured between 0.5 and 0.7 centimeters in most of the affected areas. In Castelló de Farfanya, hail reached almost one centimeter in diameter. According to the association, the storm caused visible damage to apples and nectarines, which are currently in active growth stages.
This was the second hail event recorded in the study area during the current agricultural campaign. The previous event took place on 19 April in Raimat, where hailstones measured around 1.1 centimeters.
"Climate change favors more virulent hailstorms, with larger hailstones that cause more damage to crops," stated the Associació de Defensa Vegetal Terres de Ponent.
The association launched its 27th hail monitoring and study campaign on 15 April. The monitoring program will continue until 15 October to collect data on the development of these weather events.
The monitoring network includes 172 hail meters distributed across the Lleida plain. According to the association, the equipment is used to measure the frequency and intensity of hailstorms and to evaluate the economic impact of larger hailstones on local agriculture.
Source: APD
