The 21st time is the charm, apparently.
Colorado officially has a new largest hailstone on record, according to the Colorado Climate Center. A minimum 4.83 inch diameter hailstone was measured with from a storm in Bethune on Tuesday, making that the largest hail in state history.
That beats the old Colorado hail size record of 4.5 inches – previously measured at least 20 times, according to official records.
Working in tandem with the National Weather Service office in Goodland, Kansas, the Colorado Climate Center officially verified Tuesday’s Bethune hailstone as the largest on record for the state of Colorado.
Update: along with @NWSGoodland, today we measured the hailstone that fell NW of Bethune, CO on Tuesday, 13 August. The maximum diameter was 4.83", which exceeds the long-standing state record of 4.5". (1/2) #cowx
— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) August 14, 2019
Here are a few photos of the hailstone, which was quickly put in a freezer to ensure that it broke the new state record:
Our NWS partners were doing most of the picture-taking (and we'll have those to share soon), bit here's an ok quality video screen cap. pic.twitter.com/DdgCVAqqTH
— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) August 14, 2019
Here is the record setting hailstone, shortly after it fell near Bethune, CO yesterday. Today, @NWSGoodland measured the stone at 4.83" in diameter and it weighed 8.5 ounces. Obviously, a little melting from its original size, but still beats the old state record of 4.5" #cowx pic.twitter.com/wjHCweQ1oq
— Brian Bledsoe 🐊 (@BrianBledsoe) August 14, 2019
While the hailstone was officially verified at a “minimum” of 4.83 inches, it was likely larger when it hit the ground on Tuesday evening. That could increase the hailstone’s final official value, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
Photos show that it was even larger when it fell (and was about 30 mins between when it fell and was put in the freezer)…we will consider all information to establish "final" values, but it's clear that this will be a new record for Colorado! #cowx (2/2)
— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) August 14, 2019
It’s also a near-lock that larger hailstones have fallen in Colorado; they simply haven’t been measured. This new record is for statewide hailstones that have been officially documented.
