National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Overview

Members of the National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas and the Colorado State University Climate Center visited a family north of Bethune, Colorado on Wednesday August 14th, 2019 to measure a state of Colorado record-breaking hailstone. The report came in during the evening of August 13th, 2019 from a TV meteorologist in Colorado Springs, Colorado and was stated to be the largest hailstone on record to fall in the state of Colorado.

The Colorado State climatologist measured the hailstone using a set of calipers to get the exact measurement to the hundredth of an inch. The hailstone measured 4.83 inches in diameter at its' widest point. The home owner commented that the hailstone was brought indoors and secured in a freezer approximately 30 minutes after falling due to safety concerns from ongoing severe weather. Despite social media pictures taken soon after the hailstone had fallen, which were higher than the 4.83 inch measurement, the official diameter measurement is 4.83 inches. The hailstone weighed 8.5 ounces, its' widest circumference was 12.875 inches, and its' volume was later measured using 3D imagery at 16.549 cubic inches.

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