Hail: What is it, how it is formed and types

Hail is a meteorological phenomenon that manifests itself in the form of small ice stones that fall from the clouds during a storm. These stones, known as hail, are formed when water drops on the high layers of a cloud freezing when coming into contact with dust particles or small ice particles existing in the atmosphere. This freezing process It results in the formation of ice cores around which additional ice layers accumulate as water drops remain driven up and down inside the cloud by ascending and descending air currents.

The variety of hail sizes can be considerable, from small ice spheres to larger stones with a diameter of several centimeters. The form and size of hail They depend largely on specific conditions Within the cloud and the number of times the hail has been covered with additional ice layers before falling to the ground.

Hail consequences

When hail stones reach a sufficient size, the strength of gravity exceeds air resistance and falls to the ground. He Hail impact can have diverse consequencesfrom damage to crops and vehicles to risks to the safety of people. For this reason, the study and monitoring of meteorological patterns that favor hail formation are fundamental to anticipate and mitigate possible adverse impacts.

Due to the harmful effects of hail, people have struggled to prevent their appearance using creative methods. One of those methods was the Sowing cloudswhich was widely practiced in Russia and the United States during the twentieth century. This process involved altering the weather by introducing chemical particles in the air through the use of airplanes or rockets.

Farmers used a method to spread silver iodide crystals in clouds that seemed susceptible to hail formation. This technique aimed to reduce the amount of humidity necessary for hail formed. By keeping the size of hail balls small, they have a greater probability of melting before reaching the surface of the earth.

The efficacy and reliability of these techniques were inappropriate. In the current era, meteorologists depend on Technologically advanced equipmentsuch as radars and satellites, to identify possible storms and hail. This advanced technology allows them to alert the public about imminent danger, which allows people to take preventive measures.

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The detailed hail formation process implies several stages, from the appearance of small drops of water to the fall of the ice stones to the ground. These are hail formation stages:

1. Home in the cloud: It all starts in a storm cloud, also known as cumulonimbus cloud. These clouds are particularly high and have intense ascending and descending air currents, an environment conducive to hail formation.
2. Water drops: At the top of the cloud, temperatures are very low, even below the freezing point. Small drops of water are formed around dust particles or ice crystals existing in the atmosphere. These drops become freezing nuclei.
3. Ascent and descent: Ascending air currents carry these frozen drops to the coldest regions of the cloud, where they find more drops of liquid water. Around the freezing nuclei, these liquid drops also freeze, adding ice layers to the nuclei.
4. Hail Core: This process of promotion and descent is repeated several times, creating a hail core. Every time the core amounts, it collects more drops of water that freezes when it comes into contact with it. Ice layers accumulate and hail grows in size.
5. Alternate layers: Ice layers can present variations in temperature and water content, which contributes to the variability in the size and shape of hail. Hail stones can have transparent and opaque layers, depending on the specific conditions of the cloud.
6. Foot to the ground: When hail reaches sufficient size and ascending air currents can no longer bear it, it falls to the ground due to gravity. The fall speed is determined by the size and density of the hail.

Hail types can be classified according to their size, shape and structure. These are the most common types of hail that exist:

• Small hail: This type of hail generally has a diameter of less than 5 millimeters. Often, it is known as “little hail” and is usually formed in the initial stages of the cloud freezing process.
• Medium hail: With diameters that range between 5 and 20 millimeters, medium -sized hail is more prominent and can cause damage to crops and vehicles. This type of hail is often formed in the central nucleus of a more developed storm.
• Large hail: The big hail has a diameter that exceeds 20 millimeters and can become the size of a golf ball or even larger. This type of hail can be extremely destructive and dangerous. You can damage buildings, vehicles and crops significantly.
• Irregular hail: Sometimes, hail can have irregular forms, with bumps and ridges. This is due to the variable conditions within the cloud and the formation of unequal ice layers around the hail core.
• Hail with alternate layers: Some hail stones have alternate layers of transparent and opaque ice. This may be due to variations in the amount of water and temperature in different parts of the cloud during their formation.
• Multiple hail: In some storms, hail stones can fuse to form larger conglomerates. These conglomerates, known as multiple hail, can have irregular shapes and sizes.

Now that you know what hail is, how it is formed and its guys, do not miss these articles about the showers: what they are and how they are formed and the horizontal rain: what is and where it happens.

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