Hail
- Hail is precipitation that forms when strong updrafts within a thunderstorm carry rain droplets into cold portions of the atmosphere.
- The supercooled water droplets collide with one another, creating layers and eventually forming a hailstone.
- These updrafts can be strong enough that it keeps the rain from falling to the ground.
- Severe hail is defined as having a diameter of one inch or greater, though small hailstones can cause significant damage too.
- This record hailstone is over 8 inches wide!
The largest recorded hailstone in the United States by diameter 7.9 inches (20 cm) and weight 1.94 pounds (0.88 kg). The hailstone fell in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23, 2010. Source: WikiMedia Commons
Source: WeatherSTEM
Hail stones can cycle in a thunderstorm several times before the stone becomes too heavy to be supported by the updrafts.