Hail varies from one-tenth inch to more than five inches in diameter.
The following is an extract from the “Memoirs of Benvenuto Cellini” of a
terrible hail storm in Lyons, France, in 1544: “The hail at length rose
to the size of lemons. At about half a mile’s distance all the trees
were broken down, and all the cattle were deprived of life; we likewise
found a great many shepherds killed, and we saw hailstones which a man
would have found it a difficult matter to have grasped in both hands.”
New Hampshire has the record for the largest hailstones seen here so
far; they were 4 inches in diameter and weighed 18 ounces, and were 12½
inches in circumferences.