By Abdul Kareem

As the heatwave continues to affect Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, resulting in discomfort and even fatalities among residents, people in Biu, located in the southern part of the state, have experienced unusual rainfall on Friday, April, 26.

Biu, a town located 180 km to the south of Maiduguri, experienced an unusual hailstorm, with half of the rainfall consisting of hailstones. This is coming at a time when Maiduguri is grappling a heat-related health crisis, with reports of fatalities due to the relentless heat.

Since early April, Maiduguri has been suffering under a heatwave, with temperatures consistently soaring between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius, creating almost unbearable living conditions. The relentless heat has been likened to nature’s torture, with residents feeling as though they are enduring the same conditions as barbecued or smoked fish.

The severe temperatures have caused a rise in hospital admissions for dehydration, kidney stones, and fever. The intense heat has been so unbearable that people have collapsed, with some tragic cases resulting in death. Adding to the crisis, power outages, made worse by actions of Boko Haram, have further deteriorated conditions, leaving residents no choice but to turn to expensive iced water for relief.

Although Biu, situated on a plateau, typically enjoys cooler weather, it too had felt the effects of the heatwave before the hail provided a reprieve. No thanks to climate change.

The hailstorm was met with a variety of reactions from Biu’s residents, with many expressing joy and gratitude for the break from the heat, quickly taking to social media to post videos of the icy phenomenon, which they consider a heavenly blessing.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) explains that hailstones form when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere, causing them to freeze. These hailstones then grow as they collide with supercooled water droplets that freeze on contact with the ice.