‘Nuclear bomb’ cloud hangs over Oklahoma after vicious hailstorm

Oklahoma skies brought to mind the fallout from a nuclear explosion, caused by a “stunning” storm structure over the US state.

Footage of the structure posted online showed a mushroom-shaped cloud rolling out in the city of Norman on Saturday.

According to US forecaster WeatherNation, the storm also produced hailstones larger than baseballs in nearby Seminole county.

Residents of Bowlegs, in Seminole, also posted clips of the billowing orange clouds – which were reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s recent historical epic Oppenheimer.

“Stunning storm structure seen from Norman, OK yesterday!” WeatherNation wrote on Sunday, sharing a video of the clouds on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This same cell produced larger than baseball size hail in Seminole county!”

Similar weather was seen elsewhere on Sunday, further south in central Texas.

Large hailstones hammered down onto parked cars in Round Rock, a city close to the state capital, Austin – with residents reporting damage to windshields and house windows.

The severe weather – including lightning and strong winds – forced a delay in the MLS game between Austin FC and LA Galaxy.