Post by Radrook Admin on Sept 9, 2019 2:41:09 GMT -5
How does hail form? Video showing hailstorms.
Hailstones are water drops which are lifted to freezing heights repeatedly. The more frequently they are lifted there by strong storm updrafts, the larger they become with the addition of more water. During a thunderstorm, the process is much more intense ans so the hailstones are bigger. So they can be rather hefty when they finally decide it's times to descend on your head or your car windshield. Approx a pound and a half stones have been recorded.
Fortunately, I have never been caught in a hailstorm of that magnitude out in the open. I have only experienced drizzle. Imagine getting clobbered repeatedly on the head by golf-sized pieces of ice approaching a pound in weight which are descending at a speed of apprtox 90-miles per hour. That's like getting hit with a fast-ball thrown by a pitcher.
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thrown fastballs at speeds of 95–105 miles per hour (153–169 km/h) (officially) and up to 108.1 miles per hour (174.0 km/h) (unofficially).[1]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastball
Schneider, Stephen. Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996: 381. "The largest documented hailstone was 144 millimeters in longest dimension. The fall speed of that hailstone was determined to have been 47 meters per second, or 105 miles per hour."
hypertextbook.com/facts/2005/AliciaKosiba.shtml
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastball
Schneider, Stephen. Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996: 381. "The largest documented hailstone was 144 millimeters in longest dimension. The fall speed of that hailstone was determined to have been 47 meters per second, or 105 miles per hour."
hypertextbook.com/facts/2005/AliciaKosiba.shtml
If they can destroy a car windshield-they can do the same to the human skull. In fact it has happened:
Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), Northern India One of the deadliest hailstorms of all time killed at least 230 people, and over 1600 sheep and goats, in Uttar Pradesh. The hailstones were reportedly as big as oranges, and in some areas piled up to 2 ft (0.61 m) high. No warning system existed in 1888 and therefore the death toll of this event was exceptionally high.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_costly_or_deadly_hailstorms
Updrafts and the Largest Hailstone
Updrafts in a severe thunderstorm can reach speeds as high as 103 mph (166 km/h). An updraft this strong would cause the hail to go up and down many times in the thunderstorm resulting in hail the size of softballs. Marble size hail would have an updraft of 35 mph (56 km/h) and golf ball size hail would have an updraft of 64 mph (103 km/h).
If you get a large hailstone and can cut it open, you will see rings of ice, since each time the hail is carried upwards by the updrafts, a new layer of ice is formed on the hail. Each ring indicates an up and down trip in the cumulonimbus cloud. Just don’t run out in the middle of a hailstorm to get a piece of hail. You could be hit by hail or lightning.
The largest hailstone on record in the United States occurred on July 23, 2010 in Vivian, South Dakota. It weighed 1.9375 pounds (0.8788 kg) with a diameter of 8 inches (20.32 cm) and a circumference of 18.5 inches (46.99 cm).
earthweather.blogspot.com/2011/07/all-about-hailstorms-and-how-hail-forms.html