The Italian city of Naples was pounded
with a storm of massive hailstones on Sunday, many of which were the size of
fists. The huge chunks battered cars, smashed windows, and injured several
people and animals. The
“baseball size hailstones” fell from thunderstorms at a speed of “at least 75
miles per hour,” according to Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist for the
Weather Channel.
“It's no
wonder you can see the magnitude of smashed windshields and structural damage,”
he added.
Video
footage shows the gigantic hailstones pummeling a car windshield, shattering
the glass.
RT report continues:
Another
shows the ice balls crashing into the sea alongside a boat, as shocked
passengers watch them hit the water.
The hail
can also be seen hammering the pavement, making a crashing sound with each hit.
The
storm was caused by a southward plunge of the jet stream that carved into
western Europe, sending an upper disturbance into the Italian peninsula on
Saturday, according to Erdman.
That
instability stirred up a thunderstorm over the Mediterranean, which swept into
Italy and caused the hailstones.
While
the hailstones were certainly impressive, they weren't Europe's most
destructive. Germany holds that record, with a hailstorm that caused an
estimated US$2 billion in damages in 1984.
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