It’s official: Largest hailstone in Colorado history fell on Bethune in August
It’s official. The largest hail ever in Colorado fell on the small town of Bethune on August 13.
On Friday, the Colorado Climate Center confirmed the new state record.
The hailstone was 4.83 inches in diameter and weighed about 8.5 ounces, according to the climate center.
Becky Bolinger, the assistant state climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University (CSU) said the family who found the hailstone was lucky: there didn’t appear to be any significant property damage from the storm, despite the large hailstones that fell into their yard.
“This is the best way to get a record,” Bolinger joked. “Have something amazingly big fall on your property but not cause any damage.”
The previous state record of 4.5 inches in diameter was been verified 20 times, the last time being July 2011. It’s happened three times in the month of August.
The record-breaking hailstone is measured. Photo courtesy Colorado Climate Center.