The Siberian region in Russia is not exactly known for having many hot sunny days that merit a relaxing trip to the beach. When such weather does present itself people naturally flock to the waters edge to cool off. On one particular occasion, people in the southwestern Siberian city of Novosibirsk were enjoying the sand and water, when a cold front suddenly rolled in.
Temperatures reportedly dropped from 41 to 21 degrees Celsius (about 106 down to 70 degrees Fahrenheit) in a matter of minutes. Strong winds picked up and, before anyone could gather their friends and family to pack up the beach gear and head home, hail began to rain down from the sky.
A man and woman recorded the storm and off camera can be heard commenting in Russian about how it had been clear, sunny, and perfect just a minute ago. Other beach-goers idly start picking up towels and gathering their belongings. The woman cracks a joke about Siberia and everyone shares a laugh. Then we hear “that’s hail” as it starts to fall from the sky.
Things start to fly by when the wind picks up and the mood changes noticeably from lighthearted to concerned. People come running out of the water as the hail continues to fall down even harder. Everyone heads for shelter and some take cover under water rafts, umbrellas, towels, or whatever they can find to shield and protect their heads and bodies from the golf ball sized ice pellets. The whole scene is chaotic with kids screaming, people running, and debris being picked up and tossed around by the gusty winds.
A few stragglers remain in the water, perhaps trying to beat the icy deluge by staying submerged for as long as possible. One poor woman comes out of the water towards the end of the video, shielding her head with her hands and clearly not happy about the situation. And why would she be?
Imagine being nearly naked and suddenly pelted with balls of ice falling from thousands of feet above. The film cuts off mid-storm, but it appears no one was seriously hurt. To end on a positive note, at least the change in weather cooled everyone off, so they have that to thank the skies above for!
Please SHARE With Family and Friends
