Stomper struck by hailstones along SLE during heavy rain on Tuesday

Sightings of hailstones were reported in various parts of Singapore on Tuesday evening (Jan 30) amidst the torrential rainfall. 

Stomper Naqib was riding his motorbike along the Seletar Expressway (SLE) at around 5pm when he was struck by hails. 

He told Stomp in a phone interview that he had stopped under a bridge near Exit 1A after being struck. 

Said Naqib: "Usually because you are riding, just the rain hitting you can be quite painful. Yesterday, it just felt ‘abnormal’. Lucky I was wearing a full suit and raincoat.

Naqib stopped his bike under the bridge and realised that there were many spherical bodies resembling pebbles on the ground. 

He then realised that the ‘pebbles’ were in fact hailstones and he was in the middle of a hail storm.

Naqib added: "I have not experienced this before.

"I saw someone riding in just normal clothes. I think must have been quite painful getting hit by those hailstones."

Other sightings of the phenomena were reported in areas including Yishun and Seletar. 

A reader, Madam Lee M.L, told The Straits Times that she was in her Yishun condominium at around 4.45pm when she noticed a clattering sound.

She said: "The rain came quite suddenly, there were very loud thunder and lightning as well.

"When I looked out of my balcony, I saw some white cubes hitting on the glass door of the balcony. I thought it looked like ice cubes."

Madam Lee revealed that there were five hailstones which landed on her balcony, and they were about the size of five cents and 10 cents coin. 

She added: "It's so amazing to see this at my balcony. I've seen snow before but not hail."

Ms Junawati Ashak told reporters that it had ‘rained ice’ outside Seletar Airport at around 4.30pm. 

Ms Junawait recalled that she was working at the lobby when she noticed the darkening sky outside. 

"It rained very heavily and there was a storm with very strong wind. Then the rain came down with ice."

In a video posted by Mygolf Sg’s Facebook page, hailstones were seen at Seletar Golf Club as well.

The last reported incidence of hail was in 2009.