Mapping the effects of the 23 July 2020 hailstorm that occurred in Suceava, Romania

Abstract

The hailstorm and accompanying winds that affected the city of Suceava on 23 July 2020 and neighboring areas compromised crops, uprooted and broke trees, and caused minor damage to buildings. Field observations to plant life and buildings were conducted in order to assess the extent of the damage. Scores were given to crop health state on a scale ranging from no damage to total crop loss, in order to map out the affected territory and the degree of damage sustained by the vegetation. Based on these observations, a hazard map for this particular event was generated, showing the extent of the destruction. Weather data like wind speed, temperature, rain quantity and barometric pressure was collected from privately owned weather stations operated inside the affected area. Graphs based on the weather telemetry were included in the paper to better understand the scale and the time frame of the event. Beside documenting the impact of this weather event, the study also showed the utility of using a network of low cost, automated weather stations, for providing local weather data to a level of detail otherwise impossible to access. It was concluded that the damage inflicted to vegetation affected 9 administrative districts on a total area of 80 km² in a time span of 30 minutes.