Two years ago in Argentina, a big storm brought along the world's largest hailstone, the size of a football. The hail was so large that scientists suggested a new category to describe stones bigger than six inches – 'gargantuan' hail. The hail had fallen over the heavily populated city of Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba Province in Argentina. According to researches in the United States, it had smashed the world record for largest hailstone. The stone measured up to 23.6 cms in diameter, which breaks the current world record of 20.32 cms. Starfish, Octopus & Other Marine Animals With Giant Hailstones Rain From China Sky! Watch Video of Powerful Storm.

Researchers said that a hailstone more than six inches in diameter can cause physical damage to houses and cars. It can also make a person unconscious if it hit their head. The hailstone fell during a supercell thunderstorm that pelted the city centre of Villa Carlos Paz in February 2018. It was a violent storm characterised by persistent rotating updrafts. It measures between 18.7 cm and 23.6 cm across.

Here's The Gargantuan Hail:

Hail That Fell During The Supercell Thunderstorm:

Matthew Kumjian, associate professor at Penn State University in the US was quoted as saying, "It's incredible – this is the extreme upper end of what you'd expect from hail. Such a well-observed case is an important step forward in understanding environments and storms that produce gargantuan hail, and ultimately how to anticipate and detect such extreme events. Anything larger than about a quarter of that in size can start putting dents into your car – in some rare cases, six-inch hail has actually gone through roofs and multiple floors in houses. We'd like to help mitigate the impacts on life and property, to help anticipate these kinds of events."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 06:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).