And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great (Revelation 16:21).

A Monument to Hail

Perhaps one of the world’s strangest monuments, at Barton, Lincolnshire, commemorates a fierce hailstorm which occurred on July 3, 1883.

The inscription reads:

“In memory of the great hailstorm at Barton, July 3, 1883, 10:30 to 11 p. m. Ice 5 in. long, 3 in. wide—15 tons of glass broken—ice weighed 2½ oz.”

The “ice” referred to the size of some of the largest hailstones.

The monument is built of bricks which were newly-made and still hardening at the time of the storm. They bear the deep indentations made by the hailstones.