Dreaming of a white Christmas

HEATHCOTE residents experience a late white Christmas last Saturday with a massive hailstorm stretching across the area.

Up to 27 milimetres of welcome rain followed in some parts of the town.

Rumblings of thunder were heard in the early evening and soon followed by extensive strong wind, then rain and hail.

Many residents watched as their yards were turned into what looked like a scene from a northern hemisphere Christmas card.

“At 7pm on Saturday night, dark clouds rolled in from the south then the hailstorm hit,” said Jeanette Dedman,

“Hail was still laying around on Sunday morning.

“It was the worst I’ve ever seen here.”

Despite the strong winds, no major damage to properties was reported.

“Although there were some amazing videos posted on Facebook about the hail and wind, we didn’t receive any calls from residents requiring assistance,” said Sally Duncan from SES Heathcote Unit.

Resident Mary Rovers said the sudden storm came as quite a shock.

“Our backyard was flooded,” she said.

“The drains on the street overflowed with so much water in a short time that it couldn’t get away.

“My daughter was visiting and she was worried the hail would damage her car parked out in the open but there was nothing we could do.

“Fortunately, there was no damage.”