Recalling the 2012 Missouri storm with hail so large it broke a hand
On this day in weather history, St. Louis, Missouri, was covered in hail.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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On Saturday, April 28, 2012, St. Louis City, Missouri, was pummeled with golfball to softball size hail. One person was hit with a large piece of hail which broke their hand. The storm caused a tent to collapse, which killed one person and injured over 100.
Courtesy of NWS St. Louis
The monstrous hail was a part of two waves of supercell thunderstorms.
The first supercell spell started in the afternoon across central Missouri. The storm was packed with heavy rain, strong winds, and damaging hail.
Courtesy NWS St. Louis
As the thunderstorms continued east-southeast, the hail size increased in size to baseball diameter (2.75"). The hail fell on metro-east and southwest Illinois. Additional supercell thunderstorms produced severe hail across other portions of southwest Illinois into the evening.
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The second supercell developed later in the afternoon, and it intensified quickly. This storm packed even larger-sized hail.
"Giant hailstone found in the midst of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area hail storms." Courtesy of NOAA
The storm unleashed up to 10 minutes of golfball to baseball size on St. Louis. By the time the storm passed, the city was covered in hail.
To learn more about the 2012 Illinois-Missouri hailstorm, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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Thumbnail: Courtesy NWS St. Louis
