What Is The Largest Hailstone Ever Recorded In Arkansas?

This is the time of the year for severe weather in Arkansas. Not only do you have to worry about tornados but large hail but what is the state record for the largest hailstone?

Have you been caught in the middle of a hail storm?

It's not a good feeling especially if you're driving in your car, depending on the size of the hailstone it could severely damage your car and break out the windows in the car putting you at risk. This size of hail causes permanent roof damage, and can even knock the siding off your house and other property damage. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, a baseball-size hailstone falls at a speed comparable to a baseball thrown by a major league pitcher at nearly 100 mph. That could cause severe injury to an individual caught in the storm not to mention cause red whelps all over a person's body.

State Record in Arkansas

According to the National Weather Service, on January 21, 1999, April 2, 2006, and May 4, 2020, the largest hailstones were approximately five inches in diameter. To put it into perspective that is slightly larger than a grapefruit or the lid of a large coffee container and the hail was part of four tornados that struck the western part of Arkansas. Hail that large hitting the top of a roof would be like small bombs going off it would be so loud.

In June 2019, a supercell thunderstorm moved through (Polk County) Arkansas dumping hailstones 4 and a half inches in diameter just shy of the state record. See damage.

In Texas, most of the hail occurs in the western part of the state. Right now with the spring weather patterns changing drastically from now through early summer is the prime season for hail.

The best thing a person can do in a hail storm is to seek shelter immediately and stay away from windows.