Residents in southern Gasconade County reported heavy hail fell during the peak of the storm late Saturday afternoon.

Owensville Fire Chief Jeff Arnold said firemen were dispatched to remove tree limbs and trees down over Highway 19 between the Dry Fork Creek bridge and just south of the Bourbeuse River.

Firemen also removed tree debris and gravel from the state highway throughout this stretch near the Bem community. Tornado sirens in Owensville sounded twice during the five o’clock hour but there were no reports of damage in town, said Arnold. Hail fell briefly on two different occasions in  town.

South of Bland, near Route C and Peterson Road and Elk Head Road, Bland firemen responded to calls for tree damage and large hail, according to Arnold.

Mark Davis, chief of the Bland Fire Protection District, detailed damage he and his agency encountered.

“In my area, we had golf ball and bigger hail damage,” Davis began. “Several reports of car windshields being broken out south of Highway C. Maries County Road 426 had several trees blown down, a garage had part of its shingles blow off. Highway U, there was a house just east of High Gate with a large oak tree was on the porch and the roof of the house. Along Elk Head Road, there was approximately 10 trees blown over, some across the roadway. Several trees that I didn’t have to clear in the Redbird area. Several houses did have hail damage to siding windows and roofs mainly south of the Dry Fork Creek. In the city of Bland, there was some tree damage with a large tree being blown over in the City Park.”

Inter-County Electric customers were out of electricity for 20-plus hours, he added.