Storm carrying massive 'gorilla hail' hits parts of Kansas, Missouri
Newsy
Descriptions of the hail ranged from the size of golf balls and apples to softballs and baseballs.
Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70 and unleashing a possible tornado, as meteorologists urged residents to stay indoors.
At least one unconfirmed tornado was reported Wednesday in Alta Vista, Kansas, according to media reports. The National Weather Service in Topeka said quarter-size hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph were expected across northern Kansas overnight until 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Descriptions of the hail ranged from the size of golf balls and apples to softballs and baseballs.
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, Sosnowski said. In this case, the term might fit: Some hail from north-central Kansas into north-central Missouri could be as big as a baseball.
