Asenovgrad, Bulgaria – Severe hailstorms battered several villages in Bulgaria’s Asenovgrad region on Wednesday, causing extensive agricultural damage and disrupting daily life across the affected areas.
The storms swept through Topolovo, Bachkovo, Gornoslav, Yavrovo, Cherven, Stoevo, and the Gorni Voden district, unleashing hailstones as large as walnuts and triggering flash flooding on city streets.
In Topolovo, streets were blanketed in ice following the storm, and reports emerged of shattered car windows and widespread crop destruction. Local mayor Kodjaali confirmed that the hail caused significant damage to agricultural yields and lamented the lack of a timely warning from the Asenovgrad municipality.
“No prior alert was given,” he stated. “Had we received one, we might have been able to take some preventive measures.”
Preliminary assessments from residents suggest that most crops in the affected villages have been devastated. Although there has been no confirmed flooding thus far, rain continued to fall steadily into the evening hours, raising concerns about further complications.
Bachkovo also experienced severe hail, with Mayor Hristo Kalchev describing the hailstones as walnut-sized. Despite the intensity of the storm, there were no reports of injuries or significant structural damage in the village.
Cherven faced a dual onslaught of hail and torrential rain. Mayor Atanas Ignatov reported ice chunks as large as hazelnuts and confirmed a transformer burn-out that left half of the village without power. Power restoration crews have since been dispatched to address the outage.
In Gornoslav, meteorological data indicated a sudden and intense downpour — between 35 and 37 liters of rain per square meter fell in just eight minutes, accompanied by heavy hail.
Meanwhile, in the town of Asenovgrad itself, 25 liters per square meter were recorded, leading to temporary flooding of streets, though the storm lasted only a short time.
Some local residents voiced frustration over the apparent ineffectiveness of the hail protection system. “We rely on the hail suppression rockets, but clearly, they did not help this time,” said one farmer in Gornoslav, surveying the flattened remains of his crops.
Elsewhere in southern Bulgaria, the storm system extended its reach to Gelemenovo in the Pazardzhik region. Although hail was reported there as well, no major damage has been confirmed. Simultaneously, a separate storm cell brought strong winds and hail to the city of Haskovo.
The intense downpour lasted around 30 minutes, with hailstones ranging from pea-sized to as large as 15 millimeters. The local hydrometeorological observatory is continuing to monitor the evolving weather conditions.
The Executive Agency “Fighting Hail” confirmed that it is actively evaluating the impact and implementing mitigation efforts. A spokesperson stated, “We are coordinating with local authorities and meteorological experts to assess the damage and determine the effectiveness of the protection systems.”
As cleanup and recovery begin, officials urge residents to remain cautious and to report any further damage or power outages. Weather monitoring continues amid concerns of further storms later in the week.