Hail storms often cause people to scurry for cover and rush to get their automobiles out of the line of fire.
But rarely are the hailstones large enough to cause truly significant damage, such as the fist-size bombs that bombarded Australia's Sunshine Coast last Saturday.
The incredible footage posted above and below was captured by Steve Ots from the 12th floor of a building overlooking the river below. (The storm intensifies at about 30 seconds.)
Ots described the hailstones as "Apocalyptic-sized," and it must have seemed so watching and listening to the ice balls as they splashed into the water and struck the surrounding area, shattering windows and damaging at least 200 cars.
At least one man was injured when he was struck in the head while kayaking. "It drew blood and really hurt," Grant Kelly told the Courier Mail. "I rolled my [kayak] over and hid under it."
Bernie Duncan added: "Giant hailstones were hitting the ground and then bouncing up and smashing into the side of cars, damaging panels, too."
GrindTv Outdoor quotes the Sunshine Coast Daily as stating that the freak storm "carved a trail of destruction through central parts of the Coast shortly after lunchtime, with Sippy Downs, Buderim, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland and the Maroochydore among the worst hit."
Trent Hammill, describing the aftermath to the Courier Mail, said, "Everyone was in shock after it."
Here's more footage by Ots, showing hailstones on the ground after the storm had passed:
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