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Meteorologists warned before the storm that this could be a major hail incident, and they weren’t wrong. On Tuesday, Colorado saw a massive hailstorm that shattered state records. The maximum recorded hailstone that fell this week in Bethune, Colorado was 4.83 inches. The previous record was only 4.5.
To give you perspective on the size of ice falling from the sky, the size of a DVD or CD is about 4.75 inches. The hail that fell on Colorado this week was huge and could have seriously hurt someone.
At one Ford dealership in Dacono, Colorado, just 40 minutes north of Denver, over 300 cars were damaged in the storm. A representative of the dealership said every single car in the lot had some sort of damage, including broken windshields, parts scattered across the ground and dented cars.
“This is catastrophic for us,” She said.
One truck driver was parked overnight in Colorado when the hailstorm hit her truck. She described the experience as “absolutely terrifying”, and said it was like someone was hitting her vehicle with a baseball bat. She shared on social media that she was afraid the truck would be totaled.
Luckily there are no reports of any injuries or deaths due to this storm, but it is a real possibility. Hail can fall from the sky at over 100 miles per hour, and if a large enough stone was to drop on someone’s head, it would easily kill them. Hundreds have died in past years due to hail and intense storms just like the one that hit Colorado.
The state will continue to see thunderstorms in the coming days, though meteorologists aren’t sure if we can expect more large hail.
The types of storms brewing over that part of the US create the perfect situation for both hail and tornados. Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota all saw some levels of hail this week, though nothing close to what Colorado saw, and there are several reports of tornados within these areas as well.
Wyoming is especially likely to develop intense storms.
While this hailstone is the largest ever recorded in the state, the largest hailstone ever was discovered in Vivian, South Dakota after an especially nasty storm in 2010.
The hailstone measured a hefty 8 inches in diameter, weighing almost 2 full pounds. Numerous other stones in the 6-inch range were found, and reports of damage included major hail punching a hole into wooden decks and tearing through cars.
