\n\u201cNo, it\u2019s not snow! Massive piles of hail blanketed parts of Parkside Borough in Delaware County on Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n
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* A November Severe Weather Outbreak *
\nThursday, November 12, 2026, brought an extraordinary late-autumn severe weather outbreak across the Greater Philadelphia region, Delaware, and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
This storm system developed as a complex area of low pressure moved north from Virginia. Rapid intensification produced an unusually unstable atmosphere, generating powerful thunderstorms before a dramatic transition to much colder, winter-like conditions.<\/p>\n
What followed was one of the most unusual November weather events many residents in the region have experienced.<\/p>\n
Confirmed Tornadoes in Delaware and New Jersey
\nThe massive circulation southwest of my location was not simply an optical illusion. Reports from the region described confirmed tornado activity.<\/p>\n
* New Castle County, Delaware: Around 1:15\u20131:30 p.m., a tornado reportedly touched down near Christiana. Video captured the circulation near Chapman Road and Eagle Run Road. The storm crossed I-95 and overturned a tractor-trailer.<\/p>\n
* Burlington County, New Jersey: Later in the afternoon, another tornado was reported across the Delaware River, accompanied by funnel-cloud sightings near Pedricktown.<\/p>\n
Snow-Like Hail Blankets Delaware County
\nThe photographs and video from 6 ABC Action News captured some of the most extraordinary scenes of the day.<\/p>\n
* Parkside Borough and Aston: Slow-moving thunderstorms dumped enormous quantities of hail, with some stones reaching approximately 1.25 inches in diameter.<\/p>\n
* Road closures and snowplows: Hail accumulated so deeply along Edgmont Avenue and Route 352 in Parkside that police closed sections of roadway. Pickup trucks became stranded in drifts that looked remarkably like a midwinter snowstorm. Road crews brought out shovels and plows to clear the accumulated ice.
\nThis wasn\u2019t snow. It was hail, accumulating faster than the roads could be cleared.<\/p>\n
Widespread Regional Impacts and Flooding
\nThe storm system extended across a broad area, from central Pennsylvania through the Delaware Valley and into New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Flash flooding and rescues: Slow-moving downpours triggered flash flood warnings across Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties. Drivers became trapped in rapidly rising floodwaters, prompting water rescues.
\nWidespread hail: Severe thunderstorm warnings tracked large hail across Bucks and Montgomery counties, extending into Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington counties in New Jersey.<\/p>\n
The Bigger Picture: Climate Energy Redistribution
\nWhat makes this event particularly remarkable is its timing.<\/p>\n
November is supposed to be a transition into winter, not a repeat of summer\u2019s most violent thunderstorms. Yet the atmosphere produced powerful rotating storms, tornadoes, widespread hail accumulation, and flash flooding across a substantial region.<\/p>\n
Individual weather events are not, by themselves, proof of climate change. But the atmosphere operates within a climate system that is accumulating excess energy.<\/p>\n
As the oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases, that energy influences atmospheric circulation, moisture availability, instability, and the intensity of precipitation.<\/p>\n
This is what climate energy redistribution looks like when it intersects with everyday life.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to travel to Antarctica, watch melting glaciers, or study ocean temperatures to experience the consequences of an increasingly energetic climate system.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, all you have to do is look outside your window. So, how is climate energy hitting you? <\/p>\n
Me? Wow. Did you see that?<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udf29\ufe0f HAILSTORMS \u2014 THE RISING COST OF EXTREME WEATHER AND INSURANCE<\/p>\n Hail isn\u2019t just frozen rain. It\u2019s a delivery system for destructive kinetic energy!<\/p>\n As hailstones grow larger, their mass and impact energy increase dramatically. And there\u2019s an important physics lesson behind the damage:<\/p>\n KE = \u00bdmv\u00b2<\/p>\n Double the impact velocity and you quadruple the kinetic energy!<\/p>\n The consequences are showing up everywhere:<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude97 AUTOMOBILES: Hailstorms are generating billions of dollars in vehicle damage, making hail one of the largest sources of comprehensive auto insurance claims.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfe0 HOMES: Damaged roofs, shattered skylights, broken windows, and destroyed solar panels are driving up repair costs and insurance deductibles.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf3e AGRICULTURE: Hail can destroy an entire season\u2019s crops in minutes.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb0 INSURANCE: U.S. insured losses from severe convective storms exceeded $50 billion annually in 2023, 2024, and 2025.<\/p>\n And then came November 12, 2026!<\/p>\n Across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, extraordinary thunderstorms dumped so much hail that streets in Parkside Borough, Delaware County, looked like they were buried under snow. Road crews actually brought out snowplows to clear the ice. Vehicles were stranded, and streets were closed.<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t snow. It was hail!<\/p>\n Our paper explores the physics behind hail\u2019s destructive potential, the changing dynamics of severe storms, and the growing connection between climate risk and financial risk.<\/p>\n The progression is clear:<\/p>\n Atmospheric warming \u2192 More damaging storm environments \u2192 Greater hail impacts \u2192 Billions in property losses \u2192 Higher insurance premiums.<\/p>\n The weather is changing. The damage is getting more expensive. And we\u2019re all paying for it.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd6 Read the paper:
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\nHailstorms: The Rising Cost of Extreme Weather and Insurance<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n