DESTROYED. NO ONE WAS REPORTED HURT IN THAT TORNADO. MOUNT AIRE IN SOUTHERN IOWA IS DEALING WITH SOME TORNADO AND MAJOR HAIL DAMAGE. SOME HAIL WAS BIGGER THAN BASEBALL SIZED. vlog’S ETHAN HUMMEL TALKED TO ONE COUPLE ABOUT THE MESS LEFT BEHIND AND. NOT MANY MOUNT AIRE NEIGHBORS TOOK AS MUCH TORNADO DAMAGE AS THE WINE MILLERS, BUT WITH THE HELP OF THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY, THEY’RE HOPING TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET SOON. WE WORK SO HARD FOR TO BUILD ALL THIS AND THEN BOOM, IT’S GONE. CRAIG AND SUZE WINEMILLER SAY IT FELT LIKE A GUT PUNCH. I BET WE WERE DOWN THERE 30S AND IT WAS OVER THE FRIDAY NIGHT TORNADO SWEPT THROUGH THE BEEF PRODUCERS PROPERTY, DESTROYING THEIR TWO CATTLE SHEDS AND LEAVING A MESS BEHIND. BUT THEN THEIR HELP CAME RIGHT AFTER CRAIG MADE ONE PHONE CALL. HE SAYS 60 PEOPLE CAME ON FOUR WHEELERS TO SAFELY GATHER THE HERD. THEY JUST STARTED BRINGING CATTLE AND BRINGING CATTLE AND BRINGING CATTLE, AND IT WAS IT WAS AMAZING. THE PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP, YOU KNOW, ONE PHONE CALL ON BAM. BUT THE WINE MILLERS CASE IS A UNIQUE ONE. RINGGOLD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR MELISSA STARK SAYS IN MOUNT AIR, MOST OF THE DAMAGE CAME DUE TO HAIL. THE HAIL DAMAGE, I’M SURE, WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL IN FOR DAYS TO COME, AND IT WILL BE A COUPLE OF WEEKS OF CLEANUP, SHE SAYS. THE HAIL PAIRED WITH THE TORNADO SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED OVER 50 HOMES ACROSS THE COUNTY. OVER 20 OF THOSE ARE CURRENTLY DEEMED UNINHABITABLE, YET STILL STARK SAYS THERE IS PLENTY TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. THE COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, AND WE ARE INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE THAT NOBODY WAS INJURED. JUST CONSIDERING THE EXTENT OF DAMAGES THAT WE SEE WITH THAT SUPPORT, HELPING THOSE MUCH MORE USED TO GIVING THAN RECEIVING, LIKE THE WINE MILLERS, PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO SUPPORT US AND TO BE THERE FOR US. THAT WAS HARD. IT’S HARD TO RECEIVE. THE FAMILY HOPES HE’LL BE BACK TO WORK AGAIN IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS IN MOUNT AIRE.
What is ‘gorilla hail’ that’s pelting parts of Iowa, Midwest this spring?
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Updated: 5:14 PM CDT Apr 30, 2024
The term "gorilla hail" has been thrown around this spring as storms criss-crossed the Midwest, but it's not exactly scientific.“Gorilla hail” is a term coined by Reed Timmer, a storm chaser who calls himself an extreme meteorologist, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. Some have started using the description for large hail, 2 inches in diameter or bigger. Baseball-sized hail fell in Mount Ayr and other areas of southwest Iowa on Friday. On Tuesday, reports of hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls have been made. Traditionally, common objects like peas and golf balls and softballs have been used to describe the hail you may see. “When you get up to tennis ball, baseball-sized or God forbid softball-sized, that can do a tremendous amount of damage, and if you get hit in the head, that could be fatal,” Sosnowski said.How often does Iowa see severe hail?Last year vlog meteorologist Trey Fulbright examined the previous 20 years' worth of hail reports. At that point, central Iowa had seen 3,300 reports of severe hail since 2003. The largest reported hail occurred in 2004, with two instances of 5.5-inch diameter hail — one in Story and the other in Hancock County. As one would expect, hail occurs most often during the months of April, May and June, with a steady decline in reports from late summer into fall. June is the most active month for hail historically, with a total of 872 reports.Based on the 20 years of data, the average number of annual hail reports is 156. Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The term "gorilla hail" has been thrown around this spring as storms criss-crossed the Midwest, but it's not exactly scientific.
“Gorilla hail” is a term coined by Reed Timmer, a storm chaser who calls himself an extreme meteorologist, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. Some have started using the description for large hail, 2 inches in diameter or bigger.
Baseball-sized hail fell in Mount Ayr and other areas of southwest Iowa on Friday. On Tuesday, reports of hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls have been made.
Traditionally, common objects like peas and golf balls and softballs have been used to describe the hail you may see.
“When you get up to tennis ball, baseball-sized or God forbid softball-sized, that can do a tremendous amount of damage, and if you get hit in the head, that could be fatal,” Sosnowski said.
Rosemary Hullinger
Rosemary Hullinger shared this photo of hail measuring 3 inches in diameter, or bigger than a baseball, that fell April 26, 2024, near Mount Ayr.
How often does Iowa see severe hail?
Last year vlog meteorologist Trey Fulbright examined the previous 20 years' worth of hail reports. At that point, central Iowa had seen 3,300 reports of severe hail since 2003.
The largest reported hail occurred in 2004, with two instances of 5.5-inch diameter hail — one in Story and the other in Hancock County.
As one would expect, hail occurs most often during the months of April, May and June, with a steady decline in reports from late summer into fall. June is the most active month for hail historically, with a total of 872 reports.
Based on the 20 years of data, the average number of annual hail reports is 156.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
