Massive hailstones force jet to abandon take-off

Passengers on board a commercial jet preparing to take off from Texas have recorded the frightening loud thumps caused by huge hailstones pounding the aircraft as it was caught up in a wild storm overnight.

Footage taken by meteorologist Morgan Palmer out his window shows the limited visibility from the driving rain and heavy bangs caused by the hail as the thunderstorm wreaked havoc in the city of Abilene.

The American Eagle passenger jet was forced to abandon its take-off as a result of the damage it received from golf-ball sized hail on the tarmac.

The powerful thunderstorm moved through Texas smattering cities and towns with large chunks of ice — some the same size as DVDs.

The storm was just one of many lashing the US's central and mid-west states with the system now moving toward New York City with gusts approaching 100km/h.

Source: The Vane
Author: Nicholas McCallum, Approving editor: Kieran Campbell