Hailstones 'as big as eggs' kill 18

This is rather interesting. Some hailstones that fell from this storm were 13cm in diameter!!! That's huge!! Maybe it was just a freak occurance or maybe something of the bigger story of weather related news of 2005.

A hailstorm in Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality has left 18 dead, one person missing and 25 injured, the People's Daily reported yesterday.

The biggest hailstorm, which fell in Chongqing, reached 13 centimetres in diameter, according to local reports.

Chongqing's eight districts also experienced gales and 140 millimetres of rainfall in last Friday's storm.

According to the municipal Office of Disaster and Social Relief, about 458,000 residents in 80 counties and towns in Chongqing were hit by bad weather, leaving five dead and 25 injured.

Sorry if this has been posted before.
Source

Wow, very sad how many people died.

I also found this link with some pictures to show what kind of destruction this caused. Incredible, almost looks like a hurricane hit, maybe worse.

Check out this hailstone that fell in Nebraska.
Back in June '03


www.ucar.edu...

One of these hailstones was the largest ever recovered in the United States. The National Climate Extremes Committee, which is responsible for validating national records, has formally accepted the stone's measurements from the National Weather Service forecast office in Hastings, Nebraska. With a diameter of 17.78 centimeters (7 inches) and a circumference of 47.63 centimeters (18.75 inches), the Aurora stone surpasses the famed hailstone that fell in Coffeyville, Kansas on September 3, 1970.[quote/]