Following recent storms across the state, storm trackers have recovered an unusually large hailstone in the Texas Panhandle, believed to set a new state record.
The hailstone, likened to the size of a pineapple, measures over 7 inches in length.
“That’s the biggest hail I’ve ever seen,” said Val Castor, “and I’ve been chasing storms for more than 30 years.”
Veteran storm chasers Amy and Val Castor, working for KWTV in Oklahoma City, discovered the enormous hailstone this past Sunday while tracking a developing thunderstorm.
“I could see it from probably 100 yards away,” Castor remarked.
The storm chasers found the stone off the side of the road near Vigo Park – an unincorporated area roughly halfway between Lubbock and Amarillo. Before finding the massive hailstone, the couple’s windshield cracked amidst a barrage of baseball-sized hail, Castor reported.
The National Weather Service anticipates that the pineapple-sized hailstone will set a new record in Texas. The previous record-holder was a 6.4-inch hailstone discovered in Hondo in 2021.
The Texas state climatologist and a group of researchers still need to confirm whether the new hailstone surpasses the Hondo hailstone to make it official.
Over the past week, large areas of North and Central Texas have experienced intermittent storms, bringing tornadoes, hail, heavy rain, and a derecho in Houston.
A flood warning is currently in effect for the Dallas region, where forecasters predict minor flooding at Trinity River. The warning remains in effect until the evening of Thursday, June 6.
The largest hailstone ever recovered in the United States was found in July 2010 in South Dakota. It weighed nearly 2 pounds and had a diameter of 11 inches.
See also: 10 Al Fresco Places To Watch Outdoor Movies In Houston This Summer