"Gorilla Hail"

  It has been almost three weeks since I last posted and while no one has noticed, I will get back to work since the weather is about ready to return to normal. Around here that means cold, cloudy and dreary. Unfortunately, I don't have a topic at hand, so I will write about the weather, which is what we all talk about most of the time. 
   The 'hook' for another hail piece is the word "gorilla", which, when applied to 'hail', apparently means very large. It was found in this headline: "Gorilla Hail Pelts Kansas, Missouri With Ice Chunks as Big as Baseballs," Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, March 14, 2024. Apparently the hail brought traffic to a halt on Interstate 70. Years from now, when you are wondering when the word 'gorilla' got applied to hail, as opposed to say 'hippopotamus,' you will be thankful for MM. 

“This storm IS PRODUCING BASEBALL SIZE HAIL. Get away from windows and shelter inside now!!!” the National Weather Service in Kansas City said, as a thunderstorm warning was issued to 38 counties from eastern Kansas to central Missouri, where large hail and wind damage were cited as the primary threats.
   Residents took to social media to post photos of the “gorilla hail” — a term coined by storm chaser Reed Timmer for hailstones of that size — placing them next to rulers, apples and tennis balls for comparison…"
   Above, I wrote, "another hail piece" since I have used this topic before to avoid having to produce anything of substance. In the piece, "Hail Storms" I indicated we were in for more of them and that they were likely to get worse. In that article, the better word 'Gargantuan' was used. In "Hail Again", you saw a picture of a car with a pelted windshield. And in "W. H. Hudson and the Hail Storm", you read about one that killed many birds and even sheep. By the way, we just had a hail storm here in late February and now that the barometer is falling again, perhaps this blogger will get back to work

The Bonus:
  If you are interested in weather history, see this post about Weatherwise.