Hail series (Part 3): Forecasting hail and insurance implications When forecasting the potential for hail, the first thing we look for is the potential for thunderstorm activity and the type of thunderstorms that are expected to develop. As mentioned in part 2 of this series, supercell thunderstorms tend to produce the largest hail and thus, […]

Hail series (Part 2): Storm patterns Viewed from the air, we can see that hail falls along paths known as hail swaths. These can be quite small – a hectare or so (a few acres) in area – or quite large, 16 kilometres (10 miles) wide by 160 kilometres (100 miles) long. Hail swaths that persist […]

Hail series: What is hail and where does it come from? Hail is frozen precipitation, born of the updrafts of thunderstorms. Updrafts are rising air currents, which combined with cold temperatures and water droplets, are the primary forces that create hail. Such conditions are frequently present in the middle and upper portions of thunderstorms. Hailstone […]

Hail Series Introduction Over the next few weeks we’ll be publishing a series about hail. Hail affects nearly everyone at one time or another. Throughout the summer months, farmers, car dealers, insurance professionals, and many others, scan the sky daily. They are watching for towering cumulus clouds that may suddenly explode with thunder and lightning, […]