A hailstorm hit homes in West Virginia as extreme weather swept the region.

Footage shows dozens of white, circular pieces of ice hitting the ground in Nitro on Monday, April 14, around 5:30 pm.

Reports indicated that large hail struck the region where hailstones as large as golf balls were spotted, with damage reported to homes and vehicles.

The National Weather Service reported that hail larger than one inch in diameter occurs in fewer than five per cent of thunderstorms annually in West Virginia.

The freak weather is said to be part of a broader outbreak of severe events sweeping across the central US this month, following earlier deadly flooding and storm activity.

Hailstones form when raindrops are carried by thunderstorm updrafts into freezing areas of the atmosphere. As they rise, they freeze and grow by colliding with other raindrops that freeze onto them. This can also occur during spring and summer thunderstorms.