Hail or hail stones are irregular shaped balls or lumps of ice.

They are generally formed at the leading edge of a storm system in cumulonimbi clouds (thunder clouds).

Strong upward motion of air at this leading edge of a storm, combined with the usually present conditions which lower the freezing point, mean that water droplets (formed around dust particles in the air) freeze, and instead of falling to the ground, are cycled back upward.

They pick up more supercooled water droplets, freeze again, fall again, are lifted again, pick up more droplets, and so on and so forth with each cycle.  Often, multiple hail stones become joined, forming larger stones in the more powerful storms.

When the weight of the hail stones becomes too heavy for the updraughts of air keeping them aloft, they fall to the ground as hail.

Why is the sky blue?……. http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/why-is-the-sky-blue/

In general, the more powerful the updraughts (as in a tornado producing storm for instance), the bigger the size of the hail stones.  The power of the updraughts is able to cycle heavier and heavier stones before they fall.

How does a rainbow form?…… http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/meteorology/how-does-a-rainbow-form/

According to the National Geographic News, the largest recorded hail stone in US history fell in Nebraska in June 2003.  This hail stone measured some 17.8 cm wide.  That’s roughly the size of a soccer ball.

The video below is a good example of a severe hail storm.

If you’re interested in reading any of my other articles, you can find them at:  https://www.triond.com/users/Aldrin+A+Wilding+West

Thanks for reading.