‘COVID hail’ falls on county

Multiple storms moving through the county Tuesday evening left a trail of oddly-shaped hail resembling giant COVID-19 viruses.

Meteorologist Vanessa Pearce with National Weather Service in Wichita said storms moved through starting at 7:30 p.m. in Peabody, then hit Lincolnville at 8:27 p.m., Lost Springs at 8:30 p.m., and Goessel at 9:15 p.m.

Hail measured 1½ inches in Marion, 1 inch in Goessel, the size of ping pong balls in Peabody, and the size of golf balls in Lost Springs, she said.

“There have definitely been some different shapes,” Pearson said. “There has been stuff that has bolts all over the place.”

Pearson said the shape of a hail stone is created by the way it initially forms and the way it moves through the cloud. Additional water can form on the ice and create bizarre shapes.