(Mabalacat City folk posted photos of the outcome of the freak weather that hit their city Thursday afternoon, including damaged roofs and felled motorcycles.)
MABALACAT CITY — Darkness covered this city at about 2 p.m. last Thursday and brought with it howling winds, heavy downpour, lightning bursts, and even hailstorm in parts of the Clark Freeport.
Barangay Poblacion chairman Elmer Mendiola posted in his Facebook account photos of houses whose roofs were blown off by the winds that residents described as “howling.”
Mendiola also reported that in other parts of this city, trees fell on cars while parked motorcycles were felled on their side by strong winds.
In Clark, employees posted on Facebook videos of ice, about an inch in diameter, pelting the ground and a nearby building. The freak weather was also reported to have caused power outages at the Mabalacat city hall and other areas.
At the Clark International Airport, operations were briefly suspended amid zero visibility, said an employee who asked not to be named for lack of authority.
The freak weather, however, last only about five minutes.
“It’s terrifying because it came so suddenly and powerfully. This is the kind of weather that can catch us off guard because it seemed unpredictable,” said local writer Minerva Zamora who was on her way home from Clark when darkness descended and the wind began to howl.
