Two rounds of severe storms drop large hail, 60-mph gusts

Saturday was a doubleheader, not for baseball but for two rounds of severe storms in western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

Saturday afternoon saw a smaller but intense bundle of thunderstorms ramp up quickly from 2pm til 4pm. The storms escalated from pea-sized hail in Ballard County to quarter-size and even one-inch hail reported across  Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope and Livingston counties.

Parts of northwestern Massac County received hail for over 10 minutes that first whitened the ground, then left behind a green carpet of shredded tree leaves on roads and driveways. The hail fell simultaneously with drenching rain of 1.5 inches in just 30 minutes. Dozens of trees across several counties were split or toppled in winds reported from 55 to 60 miles per hour.

In Pope County, hail up to 1 inch in diameter piled up several inches deep in some locations.

In Livingston County a 40-foot camper was thrown about 15 feet by the wind. Marshall County also reported 3/4-inch hail.

Later Saturday night, the main squall line of storms that had been anticipated all week stretched from Minnesota toward the Gulf coast. The front moved across the Mississippi River around 8 pm in southern Illinois, and by 9 pm in western Kentucky. It packed 55-mph winds recorded in Dorena, Missouri. 

More 3/4-inch hail was observed in southern Illinois near Marion and Carterville. 

Widespread scattered power outages resulted from the storms and excessive wind.



A blanket of dime- to nickel-sized hail covered the ground in northern Massac County, including this location along US 145 at Rosebud Road. (Photo Adam Hunerkoch)