New U.S. record hailstone falls in South Dakota
You know our recent onslaught of severe weather has been intense in the Upper Midwest.
Well, here's one for the record books.
An intense hailstorm in Vivian, South Dakota last Friday produced a giant hailstone 8" in diameter and weighing in at 1.9 pounds! The NWS in Aberdeen, South Dakota and a 3 person NOAA team confirms the record for the largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States.
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Abredeen NWS photos. (Click to enlarge)
55-year old ranch worker Les Scott found the new record chunk of ice. NOAA's National Climate Extremes Committee, responsible for validating national weather records, has declared a hailstone found last week in Vivian, S.D., to be the largest in diameter and heaviest ever recovered in the United States.
It may be the largest diameter hailstone in the world, but a hailstone in Bangledesh is believed to have been heavier.
This hailstone broke the previous United States hail size record for diameter (7.0 inches - 22 June 2003 in Aurora, NE) and weight (1.67 pounds - 3 September 1970 in Coffeyvile, KS). The Aurora, Nebraska hailstone will retain the record for circumference (18.75 inches).
Here are the stats on the new U.S. all time record hailstone that fell last Friday.
Location: Vivian, South Dakota
(Just north of I-90 and west of the Missouri River in central South Dakota)
July 23, 2010
Diameter = 8.0 inch
Circumference = 18.625 inch
Weight = 1 lb 15/16 oz (1.9375 lbs)
The hailstone was so big....(How big was it Paul???) that it left a 9" wide divot in the ground that was 1" to 2" deep.
The hailstone was likely even bigger as it hit the ground. The homowner had lost power and some melting and shrinkage had already occurred by the time NWS personell arrived to measure the hailstone.
The updrafts in the storms that day we're amazingly strong. To suspend a hailstone weighing nearly 2 pounds takes violent updrafts well over 100 mph. The NWS has estimated the updrafts in the storms over Vivian that day were between 160mph and 180mph!
Minnesota's Largest hailstone measures 6 inches in diameter and was recored twice.
July 4, 1968 in Edgerton
July 28, 1986 Reading
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