Talk:Hail
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[edit] Largest Hail Stone
The section detailing the 'largest hailstones' is incorrect.
According to the national geographic... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0804_030804_largesthailstone.html
The largest hailstone in US history fell in Nebraska and was 17.8cm wide. There is no mention of it being the largest in the world and I doubt it is.
Hail stones the size of footballs (Rugby League balls) were reported and shown on tv during a major hailstorm in Brisbane, Queensland during the 1980s. I don't recall anyone suggesting at the time that those were the largest hailstones in recorded history, but they were certainly larger than the stones detailed in this article.
The BBC says the largest hail stone was 1Kg and fell on Bangledesh.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/eurekatv/big_hailstones.shtml
As a result of this evidence I have removed references to anything being the 'largest'.
[edit] Tropical and Subtropical Regions
Tropical and subtropical regions are MORE prone to much MORE SEVERE and REGULAR hail storms with much LARGER HAILSTONES than temperate regions. I recently removed a statement suggesting that hail is rare in these regions. The truth is that these regions see a lot more hail on a much more regular basis than temperate regions. You won't see hail stones the size of golf balls or tennis balls in London!
The suggestion posted here that hail is a rarity in tropical and subtropical regions due to the warm weather is the biggest load of BS i've ever read at wikipedia and was completely contradictory to the rest of the article.
Factoid Killer 11:48, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Costly or deadly hailstorms
I adjusted the damage estimate of the Dallas hailstorm. I simply could not find any reference to the claimed $2 billion in damage. Though, it is well known that it caused $1.1 billion in insured losses.--BDG 23:28, 24 February 2006 (UTC)
I think this section is getting a little too verbose. Perhaps it would be better to put into a new article.--BDG 14:54, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Green?
I've heard that tornado producing clouds tend to have a greenish color, but hail? I've had hail here and the sky was dark, but definately not "green colourat[ed]"... 68.39.174.238 01:29, 31 March 2006 (UTC)
Yes green. Every hail storm i've ever seen has been pre-empted by green clouds. That's how we avert much of the damage. It's highly predictable. Cars go under car ports etc. Factoid Killer 22:24, 31 March 2006 (UTC)
And now it's sourced. By the way, where is here? Factoid Killer 22:50, 31 March 2006 (UTC)
Just some further suggested reading for you... Anecdotal evidence Factoid Killer 23:15, 31 March 2006 (UTC)
Ah it all makes sense now. This user has the longest history of vandalism an trolling i've ever come across. Factoid Killer 00:26, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Changes made April 14 2006
I changed the statement about hail occuring in non-thunderstorms. Hail by definition occurs in convective clouds, so what was being described is not hail. In winter hail is rare because intense thunderstorms are relatively rare. In winter convective events (like thunder snows), supercooled water droplets are relatively infrequent and hail cannot grow.
Also, I know that factoid killer says that hail is much more common in tropical and subtropical regions but that is false. Hail is most common in midlatitudes during early summer. While, it is true that hail is rare across europe, it is extremely common across the Northern & Central US and southern Canada, and most of midlatitude asia (china, all the former soviet republics, india, etc..), as well as many midlatitude mountains such as the Himalayas, Rockies, Alps, etc ... In lowland Europe hail is supressed mainly because there is a lack of dry air entrainment (as is common over the great plains of the US and in asia), and most thunderstorms there are mechanically forced by strong disturbances and much less so by intense bouyant instabilities. For intense storms you need both strong disturbances which lower the heights (making it colder aloft) and intense warming of the surface (at least 25C and more like 30 to 35C). Europe doesn't get that hot during stormy weather.
Hail in the subtropics occurs mainly in regions adjacent to continental climates in midlatitudes and mainly during spring before upper level ridging gets too strong/upper levels get too moist. Hail in the tropics is pretty rare (see south Florida, the only region with a truly tropical climate in the US and yet the most thunderstorms per year.)
- Firstly, I'm more than happy to be disproven if it's going to benefit the article and perhaps improve my understanding. You certainly sound like you know what you're talking about but I have to say, some of what you've stated here doesn't comply with my own experiences growing up in the hail prone, subtropical, region of South East Queensland, Australia. I've no intention of reverting your changes based on this anecdotal evidence, however, can I ask that you cite some sources for the new information you've provided?
- Secondly, Meteorologically, it may be the case that the ice that falls from the sky over London is actually not considered to be hail, but it is commonly referred to as hail by the general public. I believe a distinction should be made. Many people are going to be coming to this article with only an understanding of that concept of hail. British people tend to find it very difficult to believe when I tell them Brisbane gets hail in the middle of summer when the temperature outside is 35 degrees plus. Factoid Killer 10:51, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
- Finally, can you please sign your comments by leaving four tilds (~ - that's a tild) at the end of your comment. Factoid Killer 10:51, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
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- Australia does get much more hail than the UK, but the UK is not the ne plus ultra of temperate climates. Just because something isn't common in London doesn't mean it isn't common in temperate areas. Come to nice temperate (on a good day) Calgary - I haven't seen a year since 1981 that didn't have 15 or more hailstorms, and over $40 million in hailstorm damage from at least one storm.
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- According to the weather specialists at Environment Canada, hailstorms are more common in areas close to places where thunderstorms form, such as areas of high temperature and humidity and the lee side of high mountains. If the storm was formed more than 75 or so km away the hail will likely have already fallen. This is why both subtropical humid areas and places like Calgary have numerous major hailstorms. --Charlene.fic 22:39, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Temperate Hail
Is it really correct to suggest that ice falling from the sky in the UK and Ireland is not hail? I come from a region where hail means green clouds in summer and golf ball sized balls of ice during temperatures exceeding 30 degrees celsius. However, I now live in Ireland and in Ireland, when ice falls from the sky, the weatherman calls it hail. If nobody can provide a credible source suggesting that Irish and British tv weather journalists are wrong in suggesting that both respective countries receive hail, I am going to reinstate comments regarding soft hail. Factoid Killer 23:38, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Hail
There is no temperature requirement for hail. Simply hail must fall from a convective cloud. Over the British Isles, convection occurs frequently when surface temps are as low as 10C. When ice falls from nonconvective clouds it is NOT hail. That is the only distinction to be made.
http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=hail1
--Dba5 20:07, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Frozen Precipitation
Not all frozen precitation is hail or snow, Ice Pellets are often called Hail, Snow Grains are also called Hail, they are not Hail, whatever the weather presenter on the tv may call it. I've heard the tv say we had 'sleet' falling during an early winter storm, there is no such thing as 'sleet' it is just a locally accepted term in Canada to describe Rain and Snow falling at the same time. It is not Meteorologically correct, just as your tv weather presenters are calling Ice Pellets and Snow Grains 'Hail' does not make it correct, only a locally accepted term, Met slang. Remember, most of the people you see tv doing weather are not Meteorologists in any shape or form, they are weather presenters, trained in how to turn Met jargon into everyday language. I have Observed and Reported the weather in a half dozen countries on 3 continents (each has slightly different ways of doing things) 2 different oceans (again diferent than land reporting) and given weather briefings to everyone from pre-schoolers to scientists . . . and 'soft hail' is not Meteorology, it is Met slang, and belongs on a different page with 'sleet' and 'snard' and all other local words. Dcwinds 05:41, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
- Sleet is a recognized American term used by the NWS and by various university meteorological departments (such as UIUC) for frozen raindrops. I'm in Canada and I've never heard it used to refer to a mix of rain and snow. Neither have anything to do with hail. --Charlene.fic 22:44, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
