20 Hail Facts For Kids

1. Hail is a type of precipitation that is a solidified collection of ice crystals in a ball-like shape.
2. Hail, or specifically a hailstone, needs to have a diameter of at least 0.2 inches to be classified as hail.
3. Hail is created in powerful thunderstorms (cumulonimbus clouds) with an intense updraft, a large liquid content and below freezing temperatures in the cloud layer.
4. Hail can cause a lot of damage, based on the size of the hailstones and where the hailstorm strikes. The exterior of buildings, exposed vehicles and vegetation are the most at risk. In some cases, very large hailstones can cause injury or death.
5. A small hailstone is about the size of a pea or 0.25 inches in diameter and falls from a thundercloud with speeds between 9 and 25 miles per hour.
6. A medium hailstone is about the size of a golf ball or 1.75 inches in diameter and falls from a thundercloud with speeds between 25 and 40 miles per hour.
7. A large hailstone is about the size of a baseball or 2.75 inches in diameter and falls from a thundercloud with speeds between 44 and 72 miles per hour.
8. A very large hailstone is about the size of a grapefruit or 4.50 inches in diameter and falls from a thunder with speeds that can exceed 100 miles per hour.
9. In the United States, hailstorms commonly occurred between the months of May and August.
10. Hail Alley is a region in the United States that has frequent hailstorms. The U.S. states that are a part of Hail Alley, in order of the most occurrences are Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Texas and Colorado.
11. Hail is sometimes the precursor to a tornado, since the conditions that can form a tornado are the same for hail. However, it’s quite common for a tornado to form without hail and for there to be hail without the formation of a tornado.
12. The National Weather Service (NWS) uses weather radar and weather satellites to detect conditions that could produce hail. If they detect conditions that could produce hail, they will issue a severe weather watch or warning.
13. The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) is a division of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that does research on hail and hailstorms.
14. Hailstorms with large hailstones can cause damages in the order of billions of dollars.
15. The costliest hailstorm in U.S. history occurred on April 10th, 2001. This hailstorm struck St. Louis, Missouri, USA and caused more than $2 billion in damages.
16. The deadliest hailstorm in world history occurred on April 30th, 1888. This hailstorm struck Moradabad, India, Asia and killed an estimated 230 people.
17. The city of Kericho in Kenya, Africa holds the record for the most hailstorms in a single year. In 2014, Kericho had 132 days with a unique hailstorm. Kericho is also the city has the most hailstorms annually, with an average of 50 unique hailstorms per year.
18. The hailstone with the largest diameter ever recorded was 7.9 inches and it was found in Vivian, South Dakota, USA on July 23, 2010.
19. The hailstone with the largest circumference ever recorded was 18.74 inches and it found in Aurora, Nebraska, USA on June 22nd, 2003.
20. The hailstone with the heaviest weight ever recorded weighed 2.25 pounds and it was found in the Gopalganj District in Bangladesh, Asia on April 14th, 1986.

Hailstorm and Hail Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on hail and hailstorms. Below are six pictures of hailstorms and hail damage These pictures should help you better understand of the power of this type of severe weather.

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