SAN ANTONIO — The sounds of a rake are a welcome sign for a San Antonio north-side neighborhood after what Mark Ruffin calls an exhausting night.
"You could not take a nap or go to sleep," he said.
That's because hail hammered on his metal roof Wednesday night, keeping him and his neighbors awake.
"The hail was tiny and it got bigger and bigger, and then it was loud – very loud – in the house," said Trina Nelson, a California native visiting family in the Alamo City. "But it was exciting until we came out this morning."
Broken windows, torn-up seat covers and shattered plants were what these neighbors were greeted to. But, of course, it's all about perspective.
"It could be a lot worse," Nelson said.
It could be. Just ask Janet Hans, who lives in Alamo Heights.
"It was so loud with the hail on the tin roof," she recalled. "We just looked out the backyard and my husband was like, 'Oh my God, the tree's gone.'"
Trees were a common casualty throughout this neighborhood, keeping clean-up crews busy as they took care of what Mother Nature's show left behind.
"The hail was impressive," Hans said with a laugh.
Back on the city's north side, hail was so large that it stuck around through the morning, as neighbors of all ages got a glimpse of San Antonio's erratic weather.
"It's sort of been a weird weather week," Ruffin said.
Just wait a while. It'll change, or you can pin it on the weather guy.
"You can blame (KENS Weather Chief) Bill (Taylor) on it," Ruffin said, adding a laugh.