Texas: Video Shows Severity of Hailstone Rain Amid Storm
A round of severe storms fired up across Northeast Texas Monday evening, snarling the rush-hour commute for thousands of drivers and leaving behind plenty of hailstones the size of marbles into the city area.
The city of Rockwall saw so much hail that it looked like snow as storms swept across the region on March 14.
City officials said they had "no major damage" to report after the storm, per Talker via MSN.
From Princeton in Collin County to Ennis in Ellis County, residents captured photos and videos of what they experienced on Monday. A local said that the hail began as "pea-sized" but eventually became as large as a coin.
The National Weather Service has said several warnings will remain in place for large hail and damaging winds across the state in the coming days.
What Causes Bigger Hailstones?
Hail is formed when water droplets are carried upward into a thunderstorm. They are carried into areas of the atmosphere by updraughts where the air is cold enough to freeze the droplets, per BBC.
Moisture from the air accumulates on the outside of the drops of ice as it moves through the air, causing the hailstone to grow in onion-like layers.
The amount of moisture in the air determines how quickly a hailstone grows. It will keep growing until the updraught is no longer strong enough to keep it aloft.
Bigger hailstones will result from more humid air and more powerful updraughts.
Larger hailstones are more likely to fall closer to the updraught, while smaller hailstones are more likely to fall further away, typically driven there by crosswinds.
Other Parts of North Texas Affected by Storm
The NWS confirmed Tuesday a tornado in Fannin County which happened Monday night. However, officials were still assessing damage to determine the tornado's rating.
Aerial footage Tuesday morning showed extensive damage to a number of structures, including sheds and barns, as well as some roof damage to homes, per WFAA.
Meanwhile, locations directly to the northeast of Dallas experienced far more drastic conditions.
Footage shared by residents near the City of Leonard, roughly about an hour's drive northeast of Dallas in Fannin County, recorded footage of clear funnel cloud formations shortly after 6 p.m.
Later in the evening, additional footage appeared to reveal that a possible tornado had formed in the area, damaging buildings and property across the rural village. There were also power disruptions in the Leonard region, with reports of substation damage and cables down in "several spots."
On Tuesday morning, the NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Leonard.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Hailstones the size of marbles as storm hits Texas city | SWNS - SWNS
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