Parts of the Mexican city of Guadalajara have been blanketed in ice up to 1.5 metres thick after a freak hail storm.

City authorities had to bring in heavy machinery to clear the streets after the hail hit the city of five million people on Sunday (local time).

Local officials have reported flooding and fallen trees, but no one is thought to have been hurt.

They say 200 homes were damaged and dozens of vehicles have been swept away.

The local government has brought in the Mexican Army to help with the clean-up, as well as help those whose homes were affected.

Guadalajara – which is sometimes hit by seasonal hail storms – had been enjoying summer temperatures of more than 30 degrees before the surprise weather change.

State governor Enrique Alfaro described it as incredible, according to AFP.

“I’ve never seen such scenes in Guadalajara,” he said.

“Then we ask ourselves if climate change is real. These are never-before-seen natural phenomena.”

Residents of Guadalajara stand on a footpath, keeping out of the ice. Photo: Getty

An aerial view of cars trapped in the wall of ice. Photo: Getty

-with agencies