“What The Hail” Is Going On In Western New York?

The weather has been extremely weird the last few days, with heavy rain and hail hitting some towns in Western New York while others remain sunny and clear. 

On Tuesday, heavy rain and hail clashed through Alden and it seemed like it would never end. 

Dave Fields took this video in Alden yesterday. 

It literally looks like snow on the ground. That’s how much it was hailing. 

The weather did not improve much for Wednesday, though.

The weather in Depew right now: haaaaiiill no.

Posted by Kadie Daye on Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Around 1 pm on Wednesday, another hailstorm crashed through Western New York, only this time in Depew. 

The hail started to fall at about ⅓ of an inch, but it wasn’t hailing all around Western New York. Some nearby towns were completely clear. 

At the same time, it was sunny in Irving with a little thunder.

Akron saw rain, but no hail. Cheektowaga had thunder and storm clouds with a little sun and minimal rain.

The hail was crazy, but I suppose it’s not surprising. After all, hail is somewhat of a characteristic of summer.  It usually forms during intense thunderstorms where the temperature is below freezing in the clouds. Rain actually starts as snow before it melts on its fall down to the group; hail just does not melt.  

The hail that fell this week in Western New York is pretty small when you consider how large hail can become. The largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States, according to the Washington Post, fell on July 23, 2010 in South Dakota. It was reportedly “eight inches across and 18.62 inches around — which is nearly the size of a volleyball.”

At least the hail hasn’t reached that size in Western New York. 

The rest of the week should be sunny and clear, but there is a chance of thunderstorms on Sunday.