Unprecedented hail storm devastates property across Sofia

Owners of property and insurance companies alike are counting the costs after a violent hailstorm struck Sofia on Tuesday at 17.00. With the streets filled during peak commuter rush hour, estimates suggest more than 300,000 vehicles were pelted with hail stones the size of eggs causing blanket denting across every vehicle. Wednesday morning saw lines of cars without any windows as the glass replacement companies were overwhelmed and people still had to make their way to work. Properties on the highest ground in Lozenets suffered from thousands of shattered and smashed windows, with render and paint chipped away as if hit by gunfire, it has been described it as biblical on a scale unseen by anyone previously. Owners of balconies with glass panels have suffered considerable loss, the vehicle and property repair sectors are expected to be busy for months ahead.

In other agricultural areas hail suppression systems are deployed to avoid the damaging effects of extreme hail, more than 9,000 hail dispersal rockets (already 50% more than 2013) have been launched so far in 2104, but the soft fruits crops have already been badly effected with yield expected to be dismally low. However, this practise is banned over densely populated urban areas and thus Sofia is without such a system, hence the dramatic impact seen this week.

(Photo left: Energy Project HQ - next to Kempinski Hotel, central Sofia. Photos below of typical damage)