A sudden hailstorm struck a barangay in Bauko, Mountain Province this week, damaging vegetable crops and farm equipment, residents and weather officials said, even as much of the country remains under an El Niño watch.

The unusual weather hit Sadsadan village afternoon on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and hail that caught farmers off guard and caused losses to near-harvest crops.

Eden Paiking, a farmer, said the storm damaged cabbage ready for harvest and potato plants still in their vegetative stage.

“Kasi doon sa amin, ‘yung mga tanim paani na po ang repolyo ‘yung mga vegetative na patatas po [‘yung nasira],” Paiking said.

She said the downpour began at around 2 p.m. and lasted for about 30 minutes, but the intensity of the hail made it especially destructive.

“Mga 2:35 o 2:40 [ng hapon] po natapos. Mga 30 minutes lang po ‘yun pero grabe naman kasi parang ulan na talaga ‘yung yelo,” she said.

State weather bureau PAGASA said the event was caused by a thunderstorm cloud formation.

“That time, nakabuo na sila ng thunderstorm ‘yung cumulonimbus cloud at ito ‘yung nagbigay ng malakas na ulan at ‘yung hail na tinatawag natin. Sometimes ito, nagbibigay din ito ng tornado kung ito ay nasa lowland,” Engr. Larry Esperanza, chief meteorologist of PAGASA-Baguio City, said.

Aside from crop damage, Paiking said floodwaters also swept away two water pumps used for irrigation, as farms located near a river were hit by strong runoff.

Local authorities and farmers are continuing to assess the extent of the damage caused by the hailstorm, as of press time.