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SPRINGFIELD, Missouri - An emu was killed aft large, softball-sized hail slammed a Missouri zoo during a severe weather lawsuit Tuesday morning.
The 21-year-old emu was astatine Dickerson Park Zoo successful Springfield, MO, erstwhile a unsafe hailstorm struck the area, sidesplitting the animal.
TEXAS CITY DEVASTATED BY TORNADO DAMAGE AS MULTI-DAY SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK TAKES AIM AT MILLIONS
A antheral rhea, a bird akin to an ostrich, was besides injured, and the zoo sustained important damage.
An emu was killed aft large, soft-ball-sized hail deed a Missouri zoo during a terrible upwind event.
(Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to a social media post, nary guests, unit oregon different animals were injured, but the zoo remained closed done April 30.
After the zoo shared the update, galore patrons took to societal media to explicit their condolences.
One idiosyncratic wrote, "I’m truthful atrocious you mislaid your emu and that your rhea is hospitalized. It’s ne'er casual to suffer an animal. We turn adjacent to them, larn their mannerisms and attraction for them daily."
Another commented, "So atrocious to perceive astir the nonaccomplishment of the beloved emu. Thankful for each idiosyncratic and unpaid who worked hard to prevention the animals successful upwind that was worse than expected."
A 3rd added, "Every clip we person a storm, I deliberation of each animals. I’m atrocious astir Adam. Animals are each truthful precise precious. Thank you for caring for them."
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Baseball-sized hail impacted Springfield, Missouri, during a terrible upwind event. (Devin Keeney via Storyful)
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Significant harm was reported aft a terrible hailstorm battered Springfield, Missouri. (Devin Keeney via Storyful)
The National Weather Service (NWS) said it had predicted larger-than-normal hail for the storm, but the lawsuit exceeded expectations.
"As acold arsenic meteorology, this was decidedly an antithetic event," an NWS authoritative said.
Hailstones tin alteration successful size, with each size comparable to an mean household object, specified arsenic coins, sports balls oregon fruit.
The wide study astir the monolithic hailstorm that struck Missouri.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
The NWS considers elephantine hail to beryllium 2.75 inches oregon larger, bigger than baseballs. Stones tin sometimes scope the size of grapefruits oregon softballs.
Hail of that size tin origin important harm to aircraft, homes and vehicles. It tin besides injure oregon termination radical oregon animals not nether shelter, according to the NWS.
WHAT CAUSES HAIL TO BE DIFFERENT SIZES?
Different sizes of hail autumn astatine antithetic speeds, arsenic well. Larger hailstones autumn faster than smaller ones, expanding the imaginable for damage.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the largest hail reported successful Missouri during the tempest was 4.75 inches, portion hailstones measuring 4 inches struck the zoo.
Additional harm was reported crossed the state, including insignificant histrion and extortion harm successful Springfield.
In Glidewell, determination were reports of harm to vehicles and homes, with tennis ball-sized hail tearing disconnected gutters.
Missouri is present successful the pb for the authorities with the astir hail reports truthful acold successful 2026.
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