Hail Kills 2 Animals, Injures People At Zoo; Also Local Severe Update

Baseball sized hail trashed this car in Colorado Springs Monday. 

A terrible hailstorm hit a zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado Monday, killing two animals and injuring 14 people. Five of those injured people had to go to the hospital.

The storm, featuring hail the size of golf balls and even softballs, pelted the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Although there were severe thunderstorm warnings ahead of this storm, there was no time to protect all the people and animals.

CNN reports that a 13 year old caped vulture named Motswari was killed in the storm, as was a four-year old Muscovy duck named Daisy. Other animals were injured, a few severely.

Hard-to-watch video shows giant hailstones pelting terrified bears, though it turns out the bears got through the storm with no serious injuries.

Of course, there was also massive damage at the zoo and elsewhere around Colorado Springs. Most of the cars in the zoo parking lot were left undriveable due to smashed windshields and major dents.

Video at the bottom of this post shows the furiosity of the storm.

There's no rest for the weary in Colorado. More severe thunderstorms, some with gigantic hail, are expected again today. Flash flooding is a worry in some areas as well.

Hail almost as big as a softball in Colorado

VERMONT, NEW ENGLAND STORMS?

Here in New England, it's still warm and humid, and a weak cold front is approaching from the northwest. That sets the stage for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Some could be strong or even locally severe.

It doesn't look like it's going to be a huge outbreak by any means. In northern New York and northern Vermont, a dying area of showers and a few thunderstorms this morning stabilized the atmosphere, so it's beginning to look like severe activity is less likely in these areas.  

It could still happen, but it just looks less likely. It depends upon whether the atmosphere can regain its instability if the sun reappears for a time later this morning or early afternoon.

Central and southern Vermont, the Lake George area and parts of central New Hampshire look like the most likely places for strong storms today.

Again, nothing widespread, but keep an eye to the sky and listen for possible warnings. The biggest threats are strong, gusty winds, intense lightning and torrential downpours that could cause quick street flooding in towns and cities.

There was already one local episode of severe weather last evening in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees along Route 114 in Norton.

At least there won't be any more record highs today in Vermont. At least I don't think so. Burlington had a record high of 95 degrees Monday, besting the previous record set in 1947. That was the 13th day this year with a 90 degree reading. And a lot of these 90s were more than just barely there. Eight of the 13 days were at 93 degrees or more.

Here's that Colorado hail video: