A severe local storm in Havana left heavy hail Thursday, some larger than the size of a chickpea; The forecast center of the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) in Cuba also reported.

The official record records the onset of the storm at around 5:15 am, at various points in the Cuban capital, although at the moment no material or human damage has been reported.

“A severe local storm is occurring in Havana, characterized by high winds and heavy hail, some of which are larger than a chickpea,” Insmit wrote on her Twitter account.

Many users on social networks shared photos of the event and were worried about falling little snowballs.

“A storm with hail, from Camilo Cienfuegos, Habana del Este,” Loro Gaturno wrote on Facebook.

Cuban Felix Rivero said: “Good morning, friends. Heavy rain, wind and hail fell in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana. I had time to shoot a video.”

“Hail is falling in Old Havana,” said netizen Daniel Escalona Castillo.

Cuban Juan Manuel Hernandez wrote: “hail storm at dawn, in El Morro, Havana.”

“Very cold rain in Guanapacoa, Havana. More than five minutes,” said Reinier Salazar.

There may be a relationship between a severe local storm and hail, because hail is a form of precipitation that occurs under certain weather conditions.

Local severe storms are weather events that can include heavy rain, strong winds, thunder, lightning, and hail. They usually form in areas where there is a large amount of heat and moisture in the atmosphere, and where there is a change in temperature and air pressure.

When clouds form under these conditions, the air inside them can cool rapidly and form ice crystals, which explode up and down inside the cloud multiple times, allowing ice sheets to build up around the crystal. Eventually, it gets big enough to pull gravity down, and it falls to the ground like hail.

The intensity of a severe local storm, as well as the amount of moisture and the size of ice crystals, can affect the amount of hail that falls.

Although hail in Cuba does not occur regularly at any specific time of the year, it is generally associated with the formation of intense local storms. Especially in spring and summer, when temperatures are warmer and there is more moisture in the atmosphere, that’s when they tend to occur more frequently.

I reported this week Hail fall in central and eastern Cubain provinces such as Ciego de Ávila, Camaguey, Las Tunas and Holguín.

In this latter area, meteorological reports have detailed it The hailstorm lasted about ten minutesfrom 2.50 pm Tuesday, and the residents of Mayari and Banis witnessed the natural phenomenon.