Larger than a "monster," Texas hail could shatter state record

Jesse Ferrell

7 June 2024 at 12:52 pm·1-min read

A hailstone found by storm chaser Val Castor on June 2, 2024 near Vigo Park, Texas. (CNN/NWS/Val Castor)

The thunderstorm that caused the hailstone, shown here southeast of Amarillo, Texas on June 2, 2024.

Storm chasers found an incredibly large hailstone the size and shape of a pineapple during a storm near Vigo Park, Texas, about 50 miles southeast of Amarillo, on June 2, 2024.

Photos showed it was also slightly larger than a can of Monster energy drink and a work glove.

A hailstone found by storm chaser Val Castor on June 2, 2024 near Vigo Park, Texas. (CNN/NWS/Val Castor)

The Insurance Institute of Business and Home Safety (IBHS) said the stone measured over 7 inches in diameter. The severe thunderstorm also spawned a tornado just east of Vigo Park in open country.

If confirmed, the hailstone would break the state record of a 6.4-inch-diameter stone that hammered Texas in 2021. Before any official record can be released, Texas State Climatologist Dr. John Nielsen Gammon must verify the hailstone measurements and conduct further research on the event, the National Weather Service said.

The thunderstorm that caused the hailstone, shown here southeast of Amarillo, Texas on June 2, 2024.

The Texas hailstone, while massive, still falls short of the all-time record for the country. A hailstone that fell in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010, holds the United States record for the largest size with a diameter of 8 inches and the heaviest weight at 1.94 pounds.

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