17 March 2026 – A significant hailstorm struck Hmunlipi village, Thantlang township, Chin State, yesterday evening, 16 March, causing widespread damage to residential homes and resulting in the loss of domestic animals.
The severe weather event began in the Vailam Hill area, where the village is situated, around 6:20 pm and lasted for approximately half an hour. Local residents reported that the intensity and quantity of the hailstorms were “extraordinary,” despite not being exceptionally large in size.
The high volume of hailstorms perforated and damaged the roofs of most houses in the village. Consequently, villagers spent the morning of 17 March universally engaged in repairing and patching their roofs.
The hailstorm also proved fatal for domestic fowl, with one resident confirming the loss of seven of their chickens and other households reporting similar casualties.
The hailstorm was reported to be an isolated incident, affecting only Hmunlipi village, with no similar occurrences in neighbouring areas.
Interestingly, local Chin elders and traditional beliefs sometimes interpret such a severe hailstorm as an auspicious omen, foretelling a successful harvest from shifting cultivation fields in the upcoming planting season.
On 15 March, a severe hailstorm hit the India-Myanmar border in Manipur State, India, around 2:30 pm. The extreme weather caused damage to the roofs of 19 residences housing internally displaced persons (IDPs), including a free boarding facility that shelters war refugees. – Reporting by Daniel
