Hail
© Representative image
Weather can change in an instant in Alabama and today was no exception. This morning a loud, rumbling clap of thunder jolted me awake just after 6 a.m. followed by huge downpour of over an inch of rain.

By lunchtime the sun was out and temperatures warmed into the upper 70's.

At 6:09 p.m. the skies darkened once more and within minutes my wife Karen and I were witnessing one of the most violent hail storms either of us has ever seen.

It lasted just over four minutes. In that time, the hail shredded leaves from the trees and ripped off tree branches. The nickel to quarter size hail stones covered the ground like snow. The hail battered our metal roof and bounced on the driveway like marbles.

When it was over, fog descended over the entire area and dropped the temperature by at least 10 degrees. It was one of the most amazing things I've even witnessed and won't soon forget.