That’s how one Scriba resident described the hail storm that pounded the area for about 15 to 20 minutes Sunday night.
“It came down so heavy, we thought it was snow,” one woman said.
The hail storm lasted from about 7:05 p.m. until about 7:25 p.m., according to Bill Gregway, local observer for the National Weather Service.
“It’s been crazy weather lately,” he said. “The onions and fruit trees are really taking a beating. I’ve never seen anything this bad.”
At the height of the storm, hail stones the size of quarters and nickels pelted most of the Port City and surrounding area.
The storm moved in over the city before heading back out over the lake, where it died, Gregway said.
“There really wasn’t any wind with the storm. It just came straight down. There was heavy rain throughout,” he said.
At the end of the storm, there was about an inch of hail on the ground; some areas were reporting close to two inches, Gregway noted.
The southwest part of the city seems to have borne the brunt of the storm, he said.
“It was a good 15 to 20 minutes of heavy rain and hail together,” Gregway said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. We rarely get a lot of hail and very, very seldom with such force.”
Sunday’s rain showers dumped 0.77-inch on the city.
From 5 to 7:30 p.m., 0.62-inch fell, Gregway said, adding that most of that (0.55-inch) fell during the hail storm.
“We don’t usually get any hail. It’s been few and far between that I have reported hail,” he said. “And, here it is the second time this summer.”
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I remember a hail storm that broke all the windows on the West side of our house and left our bowl shaped hall lamp full of water at 122 Ellen St. where I was born. I was 2 or 3 months old and it was in 1926. I don’t really remember it but I was told all about it.