Five FEET of hail swamps Mexican city leaving cars damaged and turning roads into rivers of ice
- Mexico hit by sudden early morning storm that saw mountains of hail pile up along the roads and pavements
- Trucks and lorries left stranded as residents and the army battle to dig out vehicles and clear the roadways
- Extensive damage reported to authorities as freak heavy rain and hail struck Guadalajara, in Jalisco state
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Mexico was hit by a freak early morning storm that saw hail pile up to nearly 5ft, leaving cars and roads buried underneath.
Even some trucks and lorries were stranded by the sudden icy storm in the city of Guadalajara, in Jalisco state.
Roads were blocked and extensive damage was reported as the heavy rain and large hail struck at around 1am on Sunday local time, according to authorities.
In the worst affected areas, hail was pushed into homes as residents battled to dig out their property and vehicles.
Army and emergency services personnel were drafted in to work throughout the night to clear the roads, according the Mexican media.
Jalisco governor, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, said: ‘I went there to evaluate the situation and I witnessed scenes which I had never seen before: hail accumulation more than a meter high, and then we wonder if climate change exists.
‘The most important of all is that at the moment there are no reports of injured people or fatalities.’
The ‘unprecedented’ weather saw some streets turned into rivers of moving hail with several people needing to be rescued from the roofs of their vehicles.
Cars could be seen buried up to the windows in snow as desperate owner tried to dig out their vehicles without getting stuck themselves.
Vehicles buried in hail are seen in the streets in the eastern area of Guadalajara
A police officer stands next to vehicles buried in hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara
Aerial view of vehicles buried in hail in the streets in the eastern area of Guadalajara,
A woman and a child walk on hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara
Men remain next to trucks buried in hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara
People remain on the sidewalk of a street covered with hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara, Jalisco state
A man with a bike walks on hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara, Jalisco state
A woman and her dogs walk on hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico
A man with a bike walks on hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico