PORTLAND, Texas — Residents say a violent hailstorm came out of nowhere Saturday, pelting Portland and Taft with golf ball-sized hail — or even larger — and leaving behind shattered windows, dented cars, and widespread home damage.

“Our whole back window was shattered,” said Brittany Perez. “The side of our car was very damaged, we lost lights, our front window was messed up. The crazy part was seeing all the dead birds — I’m assuming they died after getting hit by hail.”

Perez, her two children, and her fiancé were inside their car, waiting out a rain delay at a youth football game in Taft when the weather turned. They took cover inside a car wash bay, but it didn’t help. Perez said she’s lived in Texas her whole life and has never seen anything like it. Golf ball-sized hailstorm slams

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