ASK THE METEOROLOGIST
The largest hailstone ever recorded was 8″ in diameter, found in Vivian South Dakota on July 23, 2010. It’s circumference measured 18.62″ and weighed nearly 2 pounds! This hail was produced from a thunderstorm that moved through the state. Apparently it was even larger than what was measured but because the power was out from the storm, preserving the hailstone led to some melting.
Hail this large can be not only damaging to property but also life-threatening. Fortunately, most hail is small and usually measures less than 2″ in diameter. Typically we reference hail size by relating it to an object. For example pea size hail is less than 1/4″ in diameter. Dime and penny size is 3/4″ and if a thunderstorm is producing this, it is considered severe. Baseball size hail is 2 3/4″ in diameter and softball 4″!
If you’d like to submit a weather question send your video to weather@kdrv.com or submit your question through our website.