ROCK HILL HAIL STORM LEAVES THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER IN SC, LARGE HAILSTONES CAUSE DAMAGE

Severe thunderstorms struck the Carolinas on Saturday, resulting in a significant hailstorm that caused widespread damage across the region. The affected areas experienced shattered windows, demolished fences, and yards covered in a thick layer of ice resembling snow.

At 4:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and Tega Cay in South Carolina, indicating the possibility of gusts as high as 70 mph and large hail.

Furthermore, until early Sunday morning, advisories remained in effect for central North Carolina. During the severe weather storm, hail the size of quarters to golf balls was reported to the Wilmington, North Carolina, National Weather Service.

Fox Weather reported on Monday that survey teams from the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, National Weather Service office evaluated the damage in Rock Hill and York after the storm. In contrast to what some locals believe, the survey team observed significant damage from winds of 70 to 90 mph and baseball-sized hail, but they could not locate any indication of tornado damage.

The survey summary states that strong gusts and big hail caused wind-driven hail to exacerbate damage to cars, buildings, and trees. A few minor injuries were also recorded.

As the storm moved into York County, South Carolina, reports of damage began to pour in. The greatest hail storm to hit South Carolina in 13 years was observed in Rock Hill, with reports of hailstones up to 4 inches in diameter, Fox said.

In Rock Hill, Chris Mazza recorded film of the hailstorm tearing down fences and blowing out doors. As his family was ready to celebrate his mother's birthday, Mazza reported what he saw.

Residents described how the storm came on suddenly; one said that "all hail broke loose," with hailstones growing in size from pennies to golf balls.

Drone footage above the Roddey Park area showed several damaged properties, including roofs covered in blue tarps, broken fences, and damaged cars.

Many accounts detailed extensive tree and wind damage in Rock Hill, including instances like a gas station awning collapsing and blown-in windows at a nearby business.

Students in Rock Hill attended class virtually on Monday as a result of the storm's extensive devastation to the neighborhood.

As of Saturday night, more than 4,000 customers of utility company Duke Energy were without power. Restoration work is anticipated to go until Sunday morning.

2024-04-22T22:16:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd