The larger and more dangerous hail becomes more and more common – this is why

The larger and more dangerous hail becomes more and more common – this is why

By Brian Tang And the conversation we

The following test is reprinted with the permission of The conversationAn online publication covering the latest research.

Greet the size of the grapefruit broken car windows to Johnson City, Texas. In June 2024, a storm hunter found a hail almost As tall as pineapple. Even greater creases were documented in southern DakotaKansas and Nebraska. Hail has damaged aircraft And even crashed through the roofs of houses.

How do the creases become so large and do the hailstorm storms fake?

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As an atmospheric scientistI study and teaches its risks on the extreme time and its risks. Here's how hail is formed, how hailstorm storms can change and some tips for staying safe.

How does hail become so large?

Hail begins like tiny ice crystals that are swept away in the upward current of a thunderstorm. While these ice embryos collide with Water in -founded – liquid water which has a temperature below freezing – the water freezes around each embryo, causing the embryo to grow.

The surfing water freezes at different rates, depending on the temperature of the hail surface, leaving layers of clear or cloudy ice as the hail moves inside a thunderstorm. If you open a large hail, you can see these layers, similar to the tree rings.

The path that a hail takes through a storm cloud and the time it spends collecting surfed water dictates its size.

Rotary storm, long lifespan, called Supercellules tend to produce the greatest hail. In the supercells, the railings can be suspended for 10 to 15 minutes or more in strong ascending currents, where there is enough onfondee water, before falling from the storm because of their weight or to leave the ascending current.

The hail is the most common in spring and summer when a few key ingredients are present: hot and humid air near the surface; an unstable air mass in the average troposphere; The winds change strongly with the height; and thunderstorms triggered by a meteorological system.

Large hail, more damage

Halm storms can be destructive, especially for farms, where even small dams can Patch up crops And damage.

As the creases become larger, their energy and strength When they hit objects increase considerably. The hail of the size of baseball falling from the sky has as much kinetic energy as a quick ball typical of major leagues. Consequently, material damage – such as roofs, coating, windows and cars – increase as the hail becomes greater than the size of a quarter.

Losses provided against bad weather, which are Dominated by hail damagehave increased considerably in recent decades. These increases were mainly motivated by increasing populations in the prone areas, causing More goods that can be damaged And the growing costs to repair or replace the damaged goods with hail.

Is climate change aggravated hailstorms?

Many people ask if the increase in hail damage is linked to climate change.

My colleagues and me analyzed four decades of hail And noted that atmospheric ingredients to produce a very large hail – greater than golf balls – have become more frequent in parts of the center and the east of the United States since 1979. Other studies that considered it Training factors hailstone storms or looked Halt radar estimates have found a limited increase in hail, mainly above the northern plains.

There is a Some primary hypotheses As for why climate change can make certain key ingredients for a large, more common hailstorm.

First of all, there was a Increase in hot and humid air While the earth warms up. This provides more energy to thunderstorms and makes water up more abundant in thunderstorms so that hail grows.

Second, there was more Unstable air massesOriginally from the upper land in western North America, which then moves east. While the snowy mantle disappears earlier in the year, these unstable air masses are more likely to form because the sun heats up the terrain more quickly, similar to the installation of a kitchen stove, which then heats the atmosphere above.

Climate change can also lead to a less small hail and a larger hail. As the atmosphere heats up, the freezing level rises above in the atmosphere. The small hail could melt completely before reaching the ground. A larger hail, on the other hand, falls faster and requires more time to melt, so it would be less affected by higher freezing levels.

In addition, the combination of more favorable ingredients for a large hail and changes in the character of the hailstorms themselves could lead to a Increase in very hail in the future.

How to stay safe in a hailstorm

Being taken in a severe thunderstorm with a large hail that falls all around you can be frightening. Here is Some security advice If you ever find yourself in such a situation:

• If you drive, stop safely. Stay in the vehicle. If you can see a garage or an awning from the service station in which you can look for a shelter, drive it.

• If you are outside, look for a robust shelter like a building. If you are caught in the open air, protect your head.

• If you are inside, stay away from the windows and stay inside until hail stops.

Facing the consequences of hail damage can also be stressful, so taking A few steps now can avoid headaches later. Know what your owners and your car insurance policies cover. Be aware of the people's roof replacement scams after a hailstorm. Also think of provocation by choosing building materials that can better resist the hail of damage in the first place.

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