Hail

Hail is a form of precipitation that consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, often in the form of small hailstones. It is typically produced by cumulonimbus clouds during thunderstorms. Hailstones are formed when supercooled water droplets freeze on contact with condensation nuclei, such as dust or dirt particles, within the cloud.

Formation of Hail

1. Updrafts within a cumulonimbus cloud carry water droplets upward into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere, where they freeze and form small hailstones.

2. These hailstones may be carried by the updrafts to higher altitudes, where they accumulate more layers of ice as they collide with supercooled water droplets.

3. Eventually, the hailstones become too heavy for the updrafts to support, and they fall to the ground as hail.

Characteristics of Hail

Hailstones can vary in size, from small pellets to large balls, and can be round or irregularly shaped. The size of hailstones is influenced by the strength of the updrafts within the thunderstorm. Larger hailstones are typically associated with more intense thunderstorms.

Effects of Hail

Hail can cause damage to crops, buildings, and vehicles. In severe cases, large hailstones can pose a danger to humans and animals. Hailstorms can also lead to flooding and other hazardous conditions.

Study Guide

What is hail?
How are hailstones formed?
What factors influence the size of hailstones?
What are the effects of hail?

◂Science Worksheets and Study Guides Sixth Grade. Our impact on earth

Vocabulary/Answer key

Our impact on earth

The resources above cover the following skills:

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

Earth’s Systems

Analyze and interpret data (e.g., tables, graphs, maps of global and regional temperatures; atmospheric levels of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane; rates of human activities) to describe how various human activities (e.g., use of fossil fuels, creation of urban heat islands, agricultural practices) and natural processes (e.g., solar radiation, greenhouse effect, volcanic activity) may cause changes in local and global temperatures over time.

Earth and Human Activity

Analyze evidence (e.g., databases on human populations, rates of consumption of food and other natural resources) to explain how changes in human population, per capita consumption of natural resources, and other human activities (e.g., land use, resource development, water and air pollution, urbanization) affect Earth’s systems.

Implement scientific principles to design processes for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment (e.g., water usage, including withdrawal of water from streams and aquifers or construction of dams and levees; land usage, including urban development, agriculture, or removal of wetlands; pollution of air, water, and land).