Intense storms swept through Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday, bringing with them whipping winds, possible tornadoes, and what some described as 'gorilla hail.' In Kansas, reports of hail nearly the size of a softball, measuring 4 inches (10 centimeters), were made in the town of Wabaunsee. Additionally, 3-inch (7.6-centimeter) hail was reported in Geary County near Junction City and Fort Riley.
How Hail Forms
Hail is a type of frozen precipitation that forms during thunderstorms, typically in the spring and summer months in the U.S. Strong updrafts, which are the upward flow of air in a thunderstorm, carry up very small particles called ice nuclei that water freezes onto when it passes the freezing level in the atmosphere. Small ice balls start forming and can get tossed back up to the top of the storm by another updraft as they try to fall towards the Earth's surface. Each trip above and below freezing adds another layer of ice until the hail becomes heavy enough to fall down to Earth. The size of hail varies and can range from as small as a penny to larger than apples, depending on varying updraft strengths.
Hail Sizes (Diameter)
- Pea: ¼ inch
- Mothball: ½ inch
- Penny: ¾ inch
- Nickel: 7/8 inch
- Quarter: 1 inch (hail at least quarter size is considered severe)
- Ping Pong ball: 1½ inch
- Golf ball: 1¾ inch
- Tennis ball: 2½ inches
- Baseball: 2¾ inches
- Large apple: 3 inches
- Softball: 4 inches
- Grapefruit: 4½ inches
Biggest Hailstone Ever
The largest recorded hailstone in the U.S. was nearly as big as a volleyball and fell on July 23, 2010, in Vivian, South Dakota. It was 8 inches in diameter and weighed almost 2 pounds.
Damage Caused by Hail
Hail causes about $1 billion in damage to crops and property annually. The costliest hailstorm ever in the U.S. occurred on April 10, 2001, in Kansas City, causing about $2 billion in damage.
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