Pineapple-sized hail stone could set new Texas record after being discovered by storm chasers
The massive hail stone is expected to topple a 16.25cm specimen found in Hondo in 2021 - but it must be confirmed by a group of researchers that includes the Texas state climatologist.
Thursday 6 June 2024 03:51, UK
Storm trackers in Texas have recovered a massive pineapple-sized hail stone that could be a new state record.
Val and Amy Castor, veteran storm chasers with Oklahoma City television station KWTV, discovered a piece of hail nearly 18cm long at the weekend.
They made the discovery near Vigo Park while they were chasing a major thunderstorm system.
Val Castor said the stone was about the size of a pineapple.
"That's the biggest hail I've ever seen, and I've been chasing storms for more than 30 years," he said.
He said several baseball-sized hail stones fell while he was driving, including one that cracked his windscreen, before he spotted the big piece in a ditch on the side of the road.
"I could see it from probably 100 yards away," he added.
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The massive hail stone is believed to be a new state record, topping a 16.25cm specimen found in Hondo in 2021.
It still must be confirmed by a group of researchers that includes the Texas state climatologist.