By\u00a0Zachary Rosenthal,\u00a0<\/span>AccuWeather staff writer<\/p>\n Published Apr. 5, 2022 11:15 AM EDT\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>Updated Apr. 5, 2022 12:23 PM EDT<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hailstones pinged off the ground as thunderstorms blasted parts of South Florida on April 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A rare hailstorm blasted parts of South Florida Monday, coating the ground in white chunks of ice. Pings from the hailstones, which ranged from nuisance pea-sized hail to hail the size of golf balls, drew the attention of Floridians who live as far south as Miami.<\/p>\n The large hail\u00a0caused significant damage to property in parts of Highlands County, which is to the north of Florida\u2019s Lake Okeechobee. Photos on social media showed car windows with holes punctured by the hail, with the stones also causing roof damage to area homes.<\/p>\n Storm spotters reported hailstones as large as 2 inches in diameter, about equivalent to the size of a lime.<\/p>\n Hail and gusty winds were also reported as far south as Miami. Hail is generally rare across the Sunshine State, but especially as far to the south as it was observed Monday and over the weekend because the freezing layer of the atmosphere is higher up than in hail-laden places like the Great Plains.<\/p>\n “Large hail is rare in Florida because the atmosphere is too warm for it to form,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist and Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell.<\/p>\n According to Ferrell, there have been just two other instances of hail larger or as large as the hail on Monday in Florida in the last five years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cms.accuweather.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/277728577_5324437774267604_5900788834609477117_n.jpg?w=632\")
<\/div>\nHail damage to a home in Avon Park, Florida April 4, 2022.\u00a0 —\u00a0 Tiffany Spires<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n