Hail in Rockville, May 2.
© Brett LefflerHail in Rockville, May 2.
Severe thunderstorms slammed the D.C. area Monday evening, unleashing some of the largest hailstones in memory.

Tennis-ball-sized hail, 2.5 inches in diameter, came crashing down in Rockville, Md. — probably the largest on record in Montgomery County.

A separate thunderstorm in Prince William County dropped golf-ball-sized hail, one to two inches in diameter, around Manassas, Dale City and Woodbridge. The National Weather Service received a report of an astonishing 2.75-inch hailstone, the approximate size of a baseball, in Charles County, from this same thunderstorm.

A third intense thunderstorm, which tore through eastern Fairfax County, the District and northern Prince George's County, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., produced quarter- to golf-ball-sized hail and scattered wind damage.

Hail map
© WeatherBell.com/Ryan Maue, adapted by CWG
Severe hail of this nature - occurring along three well-defined swaths - while common in the Plains, is extremely unusual in the D.C. area.

The map below shows the location of all large hail reports on May 2.

Severe storm warnings and hail and wind reports, May 2, 2016.
© Jordan TesslerSevere storm warnings and hail and wind reports, May 2, 2016.