The picture in the Press Democrat this morning of hail that dropped from Sunday nights storm was impressive…for the North Coast. Rarely do we get that size here. I guess it could be considered nearing golf ball size hail. For once I didn’t chase the storm (ever photographed lightning in pouring rain?) that bombed in from the coast. My family and I just enjoyed the light show.
My first newspaper gig in Midland, Texas gave me the opportunity to chase a lot of severe weather. On a day off I raced and chased a tornadic storm south of Midland. Needless to say, the storm itself was spitting out some really impressive lightning. Pretty soon it was torrential rain. As I drove closer to the storm, the hail started. The first stone that struck (my brand new pick-up) left a dent in the hood. Whack! Needless to say, I stopped chasing the storm. It wasn’t worth the damage it could do.
Listening to a police scanner all the while, I tracked the storm from a distance and wound up shooting pictures of damage it left behind. Here is what BIG hailstones look like.
The hailstone on the right is as big as a tennis ball. Really. The storm caused over a million dollars in damage to a trailer park, punching holes through windows and roofs of trailers.
Now, that’s hail.