Hailstones covered the ground in Antanifotsy. The soil and roofs from southern Analamanga region to Vakinankaratra were blanketed with a thick layer of hail on Saturday afternoon. Heavy hail fell across these areas. "A violent wind blew, followed by hail falling for about ten minutes. These ice pellets had a diameter of more than 1 cm," recounts Gabriel Rakotomalala, a resident of Anosibe. While in this neighborhood and in Anosizato the hail melted within minutes, it was denser in Antanifotsy and Ambohibary, where it took much longer to disappear. "Our crops, which we were counting on, were destroyed in minutes," laments Tiantsoa, a farmer. This hail episode was caused by an upper-level instability zone, according to Lovandrainy Ratovoarisoa Andriambelomasinasolo, forecaster at the General Directorate of Meteorology. He did not specify whether this was transitional rainfall between winter and the rainy season. In any case, early this week, winter weather will return to the Central Highlands, according to meteorological forecasts. "Drizzle is expected east of Analamanga. A temperature drop is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly over the Highlands," indicates Lahatra Mampionona, forecaster. Maximum temperatures in Analamanga are expected to be 21°C on Tuesday and 19°C on Wednesday.