Four feet of snow and 'gorilla hail' set to fall in parts of US
Parts of Colorado have been hit by snowstorms as hail bigger than baseballs is said to have fallen in Kansas, amid reports of possible tornadoes.
Thursday 14 March 2024 14:08, UK
Four feet of snow and "gorilla" hail is set to fall in parts of the US.
A major snowstorm has hit Colorado, closing schools, government offices, and even sections of the highway.
Meteorologists have warned it will be nearly impossible to travel in the weather as Denver Mayor Mike Johnson said "our city hasn't seen a storm like this in a few years".
The storm began overnight Wednesday, and is expected to last through until Friday, bringing up to four feet (1.2m) of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
In Denver, 36 residential ploughs were deployed from the early hours of this morning to try and clear roads as several hundred flights to and from Denver International Airport were cancelled or delayed.
Alongside that, parts of Kansas and Missouri have already been hit by "gorilla hail" as storms unleashed possible tornados and residents were urged to shelter inside.
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There have already been three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties as it has been claimed that hail bigger than baseballs has already fallen there.
Alex Sosnowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, previously said the predicted hail was deemed "gorilla hail" because it had the potential to be so big.
"Gorilla hail" is a term coined by Reed Timmer, a storm chaser who calls himself an extreme meteorologist, Mr Sosnowski said.
"When you get up to tennis ball, baseball-sized or god forbid softball-sized, that can do a tremendous amount of damage, and if you get hit in the head, that could be fatal," Mr Sosnowski said.
Local media showed images of at least one cracked windshield due to large hail as it brought traffic to a standstill for a time along part of Interstate 70.
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On Wednesday evening, forecasters issued further tornado warnings in the areas around Topeka and to the north.
"If you are in this warning, get away from windows and shelter inside now!!!" the National Weather Service posted on X.
The weather service also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas through Thursday morning, after which forecasters said the storm would move to the east.