People in Orange Beach have posted social media photos of hail that appears as large as your fist -- or a baseball -- along with images of shattered windshields and vehicles damaged by hail.
Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings were issued overnight by the National Weather Service for parts of south Alabama as a strong line of storms moved across the area. The weather service in Mobile got numerous reports of golf ball to baseball size hail in Baldwin County between 3 and 4 a.m.
Jason Thompson of Orange Beach, a science teacher at Elberta Middle School, took photos of the hail and a damaged car at around 3:30 a.m. Anthony Boone, a photographer who lives in Orange Beach, took photos of hail damage to a 2016 Dodge Dart.
Deborah Z. Fulgham of Daphne also took hail photos at around 3:40 a.m. during a trip to Orange Beach.
"Y'all, the hail in Orange Beach," Fulgham said in a Facebook post. "Our vehicles. And we are in an RV. It was so loud, we could barely hear each other yell. Scariest night ever."
© Jason ThompsonHuge hailstones were part of severe storms that moved through Orange Beach, Alabama, during the early hours of April 10, 2021. Some shattered windshields, dented cars or otherwise damaged vehicles.
There were no confirmed tornadoes overnight, according to the National Weather Service, but the storm packed a punch nevertheless. There were reports of a 79 mph wind gust from a private weather station on the west end of Dauphin Island. A 69 mph gust was recorded at a weather station in Gulf Shores.
Beaches remain open today in Orange Beach but swimming is prohibited due to the lingering severe weather conditions, city officials said via Twitter.
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