What Is Hail And How Does It Form?
Hail is defined as a precipitation in the form of balls or lumps usually called hailstones. With summer come thunderstorms. Tornadoes, flash floods, and hail are dramatic by-products of thunderstorms. Of the different types of inclement weather that summer can bring the most devastating though not the most dramatic is hail which results in an estimated 1- 2 billion dollars worth of damage per year. Cumulonimbus clouds commonly known as thunderheads are where hail stones form. The ground is heated during the day by the sun and the air close to the ground is heated as well. Hot air is less dense and therefore lighter than cold air, therefore it rises and cools. As it cools, it loses the capacity to hold moisture. Water vapor then condenses, forming loose clouds reminiscent of cotton balls. This condensing moisture releases heat of its own into the surrounding air, causing the air to rise faster and release still more moisture. Cummulonimbus clouds contain vast amounts of energy in the fo
