Massive Hail Piles Up Like Snow in Delaware County Parkside Borough

Massive piles of hail blanketed parts of Parkside Borough in Delaware County on Thursday, leaving streets looking like they had been hit by a winter snowstorm.

The weather event was reported by WPVI, capturing local astonishment as crews were shoveling out a stretch of Route 352 near Garrison Road just before 5 p.m.

“If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t believe it,” said Edward Beebe, who serves as the deputy director of Delaware County Emergency Services.

Beebe said that in his 42 years of service for Delaware County, dealing with hurricanes, blizzards, snowstorms, and floods, he had never witnessed anything like this from a hailstorm.

The storm turned the sky dark and sent icy precipitation rushing down local thoroughfares like a river. Joe Bonsall, owner of The Razor’s Edge along Route 352, watched the scene unfold from his barber shop.

Heavy hail piles up like snow in Parkside Borough, Pennsylvania — 6abc Philadelphia

“The sky went dark. We didn’t know whether it was snow or rain,” Bonsall said. “Just running like a river down the street. I didn’t know whether to go kayaking or sledding.”

The accumulation created immediate travel hazards. Several drivers reportedly got stuck in the road, prompting local officials to shut down the affected area near the Brookhaven Veterinary Hospital and Parkside Elementary.

No injuries were reported during the incident. Once stranded vehicles were moved out of the way, PennDOT crews moved in to clear the several inches of hail from the impacted stretch of 352.

Residents also pitched in to clear their properties. Steve Harron grabbed a shovel to clear his sidewalks and driveways.

“I’ve wiped it off the cars and stuff before, but it’s pretty crazy,” Harron said. “I like the snow but not the hail.”

Chief Meteorologist Adam Joseph explained that the system’s movement—traveling between 15 and 25 miles an hour—allowed strong updrafts to continuously generate and bring the hail down, sitting over those locations for longer than typical.

Parkside and Brookhaven took the brunt of the hailstorm in Delaware County, an area situated near the Commodore Barry Bridge. Before finishing for the night, PennDOT salted Rt. 352.