That was a hail of a storm!
A freak weather system that dumped golf-ball-sized hail on southern Westchester County and left thousands without power left two feet of hail in the Yonkers basement (above) of 89-year-old Grace Martini.
Her sister, Nancy Valides, 76, said the hail forced its way under Martini’s garage door and then slid down into the basement.
It took six people, including four firefighters, five hours to shovel it into wheelbarrows and take it out.
“Am I surprised? That’s an understatement. I’m shocked,” Valides said. “Everything was covered.”
The storm, which began Tuesday night, left 21,000 without power at its height. By last night, that number had declined to 8,000, with 4,500 of them in Yonkers.
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina said the largest hail reported was about 1 and 3/4 inches across.