Record-breaking 19 cm hailstone in Italy
Record-breaking 19 cm hailstone in Italy
Severe thunderstorms in Europe appeared to set a continental hail record twice in the span of five days in Italy.

T​he most recent rash of severe weather on Monday included supercell thunderstorms that dumped giant hail from parts of northern Italy into neighboring Slovenia.

O​ne massive oblong hailstone recovered Monday night in Azzano Decimo, about 35 miles northeast of Venice, Italy, was estimated to be 19 centimeters - almost 7.5 inches - long.

A​ccording to the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL), this was the largest diameter hailstone of record anywhere in Europe.



The giant hail and destructive winds uprooted trees, heavily damaged vehicles and destroyed crops, Pordenone Today reported.

Incredibly that European hail record only stood for five days prior to Monday.

L​ast Wednesday, there were two dozen reports of hail over 10 centimeters - almost 4 inches - in diameter received by the ESSL in Italy and Croatia.

Huge 20 cm hail in northern Italy, a new record could fall
Huge 20 cm hail in northern Italy.
T​hat included a 16-centimeter - 6.3-inch - diameter hailstone recovered in Carmignano di Brenta, about 25 miles northwest of Venice, which the ESSL found topped the previous record size stone from June 20, 2016, in Romania.


T​he July 19 hailstorms injured over 100 in northeast Italy alone, and also damaged trees, homes and crops.

T​he World Meteorological Organization maintains official world weather records, including the heaviest hailstone (2.25 pounds in Bangladesh on April 14, 1986) and the deadliest hailstorm (246 killed in India on April 20, 1888).

However, no records for hail size are maintained by the WMO and n​o information was provided to ESSL about the weight of either of the Italian hailstones from July 19 or 24.

T​he July 24 hailstone was of comparable diameter to the U.S. record size hailstone, an 8-inch diameter giant recovered in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010.