That's bigger than my head!
Where does hail come from? Hail usually falls during severe thunderstorms. Inside the Cumulonimbus clouds that make up thunderstorms there are strong updrafts of warm air and downdrafts of cool air. Water droplets get caught up by the updrafts and freeze in the high altitude. The frozen droplet then falls with the downdraft. The droplet can then be picked up by another updraft, giving it another coat of ice. Eventually, if the droplet travels up and down through the cloud enough times, it falls to the ground as hail. If for some reason you didn't follow my description (I did take Understanding Weather and Climate in college, but I clearly got nothing from the experience) here is a diagram:
Better?
According to the National Weather Service, hail causes one billion dollars (what!?) in damage each year. Tonight I was caught in a short hail storm, and I am amazed that I made it home without a dent in my car. The mini hail I encountered, while personally frightening (I'm not a fan of thunder or its accessories), is nothing like the hail in Tornado Valley, and could have been much, much worse.
For more information on hail, click here.
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1 comment:
yep, the hail out here is kinda crazy. this is why no one should live in places that are this flat and terrifying. (and we're not technically in the yellow area, either-- we're right outside it).
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