Weather experts predict heavy rain from central Louisiana to central Arkansas on Friday
Residents of Kansas and Missouri were urged to stay home after huge chunks of “gorilla hail” fell on the border states causing heavy traffic along Interstate 70. Kansas City Star reported.
According to US media, at least one unconfirmed tornado was reported in Kansas, while the National Weather Service (NWS) said quarter-sized hail was expected in northern Kansas overnight until 6 a.m. from Thursday.
Descriptions of the hail ranged from the size of golf balls and apples to softballs and baseballs, which AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski deemed “gorilla hail.”
The term was coined by Reed Timmer, a storm chaser who calls himself an extreme meteorologist.
“When you get close to a tennis ball, the size of a baseball or, God forbid, the size of a softball, that can cause a tremendous amount of damage, and if you get hit in the head , it could be fatal,” Sosnowski said.
Images of large pieces of hail and at least one broken windshield were shown on KSHB-TV.
The weather service issued a severe storm watch for parts of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas through Thursday morning, then forecasters predict the storm will move east.
However, heavy rain and strong winds are still possible from northeast Texas to central Missouri.
Additionally, Sosnowski said heavy rain is expected Friday from central Louisiana to central Arkansas.
