Hail
Hail is a type of precipitation that consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice. It is formed when thunderstorm updrafts carry raindrops into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere, where they freeze into ice. The hailstones continue to grow as they are lifted and carried by the updrafts, and eventually fall to the ground when they become too heavy for the updrafts to support.
Formation of Hail
Hail forms within strong thunderstorm clouds, where the updrafts can lift raindrops into very cold areas of the atmosphere. The raindrops freeze into ice and can be carried up and down within the storm multiple times, accumulating layers of ice and growing in size. Eventually, they become too heavy and fall to the ground as hailstones.
Characteristics of Hail
Hailstones can vary in size, from small pellets to large, golf ball-sized hailstones. The size of the hailstones is dependent on the strength of the updrafts within the thunderstorm. Hailstones can also have irregular shapes and can be transparent or opaque, depending on the layers of ice they accumulate during their formation.
Impact of Hail
Hail can cause damage to crops, vehicles, and buildings, especially when the hailstones are large in size. Hailstorms can also pose a risk to human safety when the hailstones are sizable and fall at high velocities.
Study Guide
- What is hail?
- Describe the formation of hail.
- What factors determine the size of hailstones?
- What are the characteristics of hailstones?
- What impact can hail have on the environment and human safety?
