World’s largest hailstone named as ‘gargantuan hail’ and bigger than a football found in Argentina

THE world’s largest hailstone — wider than a football — is thought to have fallen in Argentina.

Scientists who quizzed witnesses and studied pictures after a thunderstorm said it could have been 9.3in across.

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It fell in the city of Villa Carlos Paz in 2018.

Matthew Kumjian, of Penn State University in the US, told the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: “It’s incredible.

“Anything larger than about a quarter of that in size can start putting dents into your car.

“Such a well-observed case is an important step in understanding environments and storms that produce gargantuan hail.

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"In some rare cases, 6-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 previous record was set by an 8in stone in South Dakota.

Hail typically occurs during severe storms which produce strong, sustained updrafts.

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