Texans who found a record-breaking hailstone during a storm turned it into margaritas.
On April 28, during an unprecedented storm in Hondo, Texas, one family found an impressive 16 centimeter (6.4in) hailstone. Although they did take pictures of their exceptional discovery, the people had no clue what this chunk of ice was, so they decided to use it to make margaritas, IFL Science reveals.
Luckily, the finders uploaded the photos of the hailstone on social media. Using cutting-edge technology, meteorology experts were able to analyze the stone’s size, discovering that it was the largest to have ever fallen in Texas.
Estimated max. dimension of this #gargantuan stone, accounting for perspective: 6.27-6.57 inches! It's gargantuan (>6")! Happy for colleagues to attempt/improve: @Albatrossoar @joshuasoderholm @igiammanco33 .@NWSSanAntonio #Hondo, TX beneath BWER, extremely low CC aloft. #hail pic.twitter.com/pRC2Y7c1Ft
— PSURadarMeteorology (@PSU_RadarMeteo) April 30, 2021
However, they were shocked to learn that the people who found the hailstone had already consumed it with their cocktails before it could be verified by the National Weather Service.
Thankfully, another large hailstone fell near Hondo during the same storm.
This time, the solid ice block was bagged and put straight in the freezer for verification. After weather experts conducted a detailed inspection, it was announced to be the largest hailstone to ever have landed in Texas. The stone’s weight is 0.57 kilograms (1.26 pounds), and its size is 16.2 centimeters (6.4in) in diameter.
After further review, the @NOAANCEIclimate has completed their report of the Hondo Hailstone, and we have a new Texas State Record for hail. Please see the final event write-up for more information. #txwx #Hondo #hail https://t.co/wL2Z7rcx6X https://t.co/LwPbo09fb6
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) June 24, 2021
Both hailstones fell as part of a series of multiple supercell storms that moved from Del Rio to San Antonio. As the Ice Age-like storms continued to grow, they began dropping the record-breaking chunks of ice. Unfortunately, they also damaged urban areas in the process.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the NWS released a report covering all the information obtained about the massive hailstone.
