Huge hailstones were falling from the sky on Thursday, March 12 across parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas and some adjacent locations. Hail up to two inches in diameter (the width of hen eggs!) fell in parts of southern Illinois. Our field correspondent Meteorologist Brett Adair caught some of the large hailstones Thursday.
YIKES! Not a fun drive for commuters in Illinois at all as severe storms ravaged across the area. We're following the severe weather risk that includes multiple states in the central U.S., keep it locked to @WeatherNation for coverage on air and with our field correspondents! pic.twitter.com/Lyue7zfiIe
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) March 12, 2020
A severe thunderstorm is classified as a storm that brings one or more of the following: 58 mph winds or stronger, 1″ thick hail or larger, a tornado. When you hear of a severe thunderstorm warning, know the storm may very well bring those hazards.
Thunderstorm Hammer the Central U.S.
Check out the ⚡️thunderstorms⚡️ that brought downpours & hail to central Missouri Thursday morning!#MOwx #SevereWeather #Hailing #OhHailNo #RainRainGoAwayVideo Credit: @sturgeonscience
Posted by WeatherNation on Thursday, March 12, 2020
Social media user SturgeonScience caught this storm on camera Thursday as it rolled across parts of Missouri. Heavy rainfall of 1.1-1.3″ fell within an hour under these thunderstorms! Please watch out for flooded roads overnight and avoid them!
The image above shows the diameters of the hailstones in various parts of Illinois. The 1.25″ thickness equates to half dollar size hail, 1.75″ equates to golf ball size, and 2″ is equal to hen egg size! If you are in the path of these storms, move your vehicle to safety before they hit because damage may be done!
The thunderstorms will continue across parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and some adjacent locations through the night and early Friday morning. For more information on the severe weather forecast, see this article we previously published.