7-Inch Hailstones Damage Homes, Cars

Chunks of hail more than a half-foot in diameter smashed windows and dented cars in central Louisiana as thunderstorms produced nearly constant lightning. Frances Breland said her daughter-in-law’s car had to be towed to a repair shop because of shattered glass and a busted grill, and her husband brought in one irregular hailstone that measured 7 inches across. Thunderstorms stretched across most of the Gulf states and extended into northern Texas and Oklahoma. Near Rogers, about 180 miles northwest of New Orleans, Billy Crawford said the hail that pounded his home and yard--punching a 6-inch hole in his porch roof--came during the last 10 or 15 minutes of a storm that produced nonstop thunder and lightning.