Severe thunderstorms brought a massive hailstorm to the Carolinas on Saturday, blasting out windows, tearing down fences and leaving yards covered in enough ice to create the appearance of a fresh blanket of snow.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Rock Hill, Fort Mill and Tega Cay in South Carolina on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET. The warning included the potential for winds of up to 70 mph and huge hail.
Warnings were also in effect for central North Carolina from Saturday night into early Sunday morning. During severe thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, received reports of hail ranging from quarter to golf ball size.
Crews from the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, conducted surveys Monday in Rock Hill and York to assess damage from Saturday’s severe thunderstorms.
Although some residents believed the tornado had downed trees and power lines, NWS survey teams said there was no damage caused by the tornado, but rather a combination of 70 to 90 mph winds and baseball-sized hail. We found extensive damage.
“The combination of strong winds and extremely large amounts of hail resulted in wind-borne hail, which further exacerbated damage to buildings, vehicles, and trees,” the investigation summary states.
The investigation team said there were also reports of minor injuries as a result of the storm.
Hailstorm creates rivers of ice, covers ground with hailstones
Damage reports quickly flooded into the NWS from York County, South Carolina, on Saturday as the storm hit the area. Parts of Rock Hill received hail up to 4 inches in diameter (about the size of a softball). This was the largest hailstorm reported in South Carolina in 13 years. The hailstorm left yards and grounds covered in hailstones that looked like snow.
Video taken by Chris Mazza in Rock Hill showed how the hailstorm knocked down a backyard fence and how the wind ripped off a door. Mazza said her family was preparing to celebrate her mother’s birthday when the storm hit.
In front of the home, the rain and hail created a river of ice water running down the street, where vehicles could be seen with damaged windshields and covered in dents.
‘All hail broke loose’
Rock Hill resident Austin Jefferson told FOX Weather he was preparing to cater food for a wedding when the wild weather event began unfolding.
“What I thought would be a quick thunderstorm quickly turned into a hailstorm,” Jefferson said. “All hail broke loose, literally.”
The hail started out as penny-size before increasing in size to golf ball-size, according to Jefferson.
Jefferson was in his garage packing up supplies and had to force the door closed when the hailstorm started. His truck was seriously damaged, including a cracked windshield and dents on the body.
He got help shoveling the ice from his driveway to be able to make it to the wedding and cater the event.
Drone video recorded over the Roddey Park neighborhood in Rock Hill showed the extent of property damage from downed fences to cars and roofs with blue tarps.
