Damaged cars are lined up at Auto Glass Now after a hail storm in west Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, March 17, 2016.Hail the size of golf balls coated parts of North Texas, broke windows, damaged police vehicles and killed exotic birds at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Khampha Bouaphanh/Star-Telegram via AP) MAGS OUT; (FORT WORTH WEEKLY, 360 WEST); INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

1. Hail storm kills some exotic birds at Fort Worth Zoo

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Hailstorms that rolled through the Fort Worth area last week could result in $300 million in vehicle repairs.

Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, estimated Friday that 50,000 vehicles were damaged by the Thursday morning storms, which pounded cars and busted windshields from Fort Worth to Arlington.

Hanna tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (http://bit.ly/1Ue3ywZ ), “This is a catastrophic event for us.”

The hail fell in two bursts and varied in size from blueberries to tennis balls.

The number of roofs damaged wasn’t yet available, though Hanna says it’s likely about one-third of the number of vehicles damaged. But with repairs costlier, roofs could double the price of the damage.

___

Information from: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, http://www.star-telegram.com

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.