Hail and high winds accompanied brief heavy rain, thunder and lightning as storms pushed through our area Monday, April 28, 2014.
Hail damage was expected on vehicles, according to warning statements issued by the National Weather Service, as storms moved through between about 4 and 7 p.m.
Severe thunderstorms are defined by the NWS as storms with winds at or exceeding 58 miles per hour and/or hail that is one inch or larger in diameter reported by radar or qualified weather spotters. Most warnings are issued for an hour, and they don't necessarily follow a previously-issued thunderstorm watch.
"Severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes with little or no advance warning," according to the NWS.
Lightning frequency is not a criteria for determining whether a thunderstorm is severe.
Some News 8 viewers reported hail with the storms, and the NWS predicted wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour in some locations.
The system that brought those storms also caused the NWS to issue a tornado watch for QC-area counties until 7 p.m. Monday.
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