Canada has a lot in common with Russia. Well, maybe not a lot, but we both suffer through ridiculously long and cold winters. Which means when the weather warms up, the beach becomes a very popular place.
The ocean can be a real source of danger, but the people in this video found that sharks, jellyfish and stingrays were the least of their worries when they came under attack from the sky itself.
The video was taken on a beach in Novosibirsk, Russia, hapless swimmers are caught in an unexpectedly drastic temperature drop from 41° to 22° C. This generated a massive hailstorm, which began small, but in no time at all, was raining golf-ball-sized chunks from high above.
As the storm gets worse, people run for cover, crowding under umbrellas and using towels to blunt the impact of the hail. The storm worsens as whipping winds begin to toss debris from nearby trees into the air.
For those who speak Russian, if you listen closely to the audio two minutes in, you can hear a romantically inclined sunbather tell her partner, “If we’re going to die, I love you.” Fortunately, the folks stranded on the beach, despite their bruises, were protected from the most dangerous aspects of a frenzied wind storm: falling trees.
If you ever find yourself out in the open when it begins to hail, it’s important to find cover immediately. What may start as a light shower can quickly worsen, and it’s best to have something solid between you and the sky.
