Dictionary:

hail¹

  (hāl)

1. Precipitation in the form of spherical or irregular pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter.
2. Something that falls with the force and quantity of a shower of ice and hard snow: a hail of pebbles; a hail of criticism.

1. To precipitate in pellets of ice and hard snow.
2. To fall like hailstones: Condemnations hailed down on them.

To pour (something) down or forth: They hailed insults at me.

[Middle English, from Old English hægel, hagol.]

Precipitation composed of chunks or lumps of ice formed in strong updrafts in cumulonimbus clouds. Individual lumps are called hailstones. Most hailstones are spherical or oblong, some are conical, and some are bumpy and irregular. Diameters range from 0.2 to 6 in. (5 to 150mm) or more. That is, the largest stones are grapefruit or softball size, and the smallest are pea size.

Very often hailstones are observed to be made of alternating rings of clear and white ice (see illustration). These rings indicate the growth processes of the hail. The milky or white portion of the growth occurs when small cloud droplets are collected by the hailstone and freeze almost instantaneously, trapping bubbles of air between the droplets and creating a milky appearance. The clear portion is formed when many droplets arecollected so rapidly that a film of water spreads over the stone and freezes gradually, givingtime for any trapped air bubbles to escape from the liquid.

Cross section of a large hailstone showing the structure of alternating rings of clear and white ice. (Alberta Research Council, Edmonton)

The most favorable conditions for hail formation occur in the mountainous, high plains regions of the world. Hailstorms normally have relatively high, cool cloud bases and very strong updrafts within the clouds to carry the hailstones into the cooler regions of the cloud, where maximum growth occurs. Both small ice particles and supercooled liquid water (liquid water at temperatures below 32°F or 0°C) are needed for the ice particles to grow into hailstones. See also Cloud physics; Precipitation (meteorology).

noun

A concentrated outpouring, as of missiles, words, or blows: barrage, bombardment, burst, cannonade, fusillade, salvo, shower, storm, volley. See attack/defend.

Definition: rain down on
Antonyms: dribble, drip

For more information on hail, visit Britannica.com.

Pellets of ice that form when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops to high altitudes, where the water freezes and then falls back to Earth. Hailstones as large as baseballs have been recorded. Hail can damage crops and property.

This article is about the precipitation. For other uses, see Hail (disambiguation).

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Hail is a form of precipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice (hailstones). Hailstones on Earth usually consist mostly of water ice and measure between 5 and 50 millimetres in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms.^[1] Hail is always produced by cumulonimbi (thunderclouds), usually at the front of the storm system, and is composed of transparent ice or alternating layers of transparent and translucent ice at least 1 mm thick. Small hailstones are less than 5 mm in diameter, and are reported as SHGS. Unlike ice pellets, they are layered and can be irregular and clumped together.

Hail formation

A large hailstone, about 6 cm in diameter

Hail forms on condensation nuclei such as dust, insects, or ice crystals, when supercooled water freezes on contact. Hailstones are usually from the size of a pea to the size of a golfball. In clouds containing large numbers of supercooled water droplets, these ice nuclei grow quickly at the expense of the liquid droplets because the saturation vapor pressure over ice is slightly less than the saturation vapor pressure over water. If the hailstones grow large enough, latent heat released by further freezing may melt the outer shell of the hailstone. The growth that follows, usually called wet growth, is more efficient because the liquid outer shell allows the stone to accrete other smaller hailstones in addition to supercooled droplets. These winds hold the rain and freeze it. As the process repeats, the hail grows increasingly larger. Once a hailstone becomes too heavy to be supported by the storm's updraft it falls out of the cloud. When a hailstone is cut in half, a series of concentric rings, like that of an onion, is revealed. These rings reveal the total number of times the hailstone had traveled to the top of the storm before falling to the ground.

Ideal conditions for hail formation

The largest hailstone ever measured, 17.8 cm (7.0 in) in diameter with a 47.6 cm (18.75 in) circumference.

Hail forms in strong thunderstorm clouds, particularly those with intense updrafts, high liquid water content, great vertical extent, large water droplets, and where a good portion of the cloud layer is below freezing (0 °C (32 °F)). The growth rate is maximized at about -13 °C (9 °F), and becomes vanishingly small much below -30 °C (-22 °F) as supercooled water droplets become rare. For this reason, hail is most common in midlatitudes during early summer where surface temperatures are warm enough to promote the instability associated with strong thunderstorms, but the upper atmosphere is still cool enough to support ice. Accordingly, hail is actually less common in the tropics despite a much higher frequency of thunderstorms than in the midlatitudes because the atmosphere over the tropics tends to be warmer over a much greater depth.^{[citation needed]} Also, entrainment of dry air into strong thunderstorms over continents can increase the frequency of hail by promoting evaporational cooling which lowers the freezing level of thunderstorm clouds giving hail a larger volume to grow in.

Hail is also much more common along mountain ranges because mountains force horizontal winds upwards (known as orographic lifting), thereby intensifying the updrafts within thunderstorms and making hail more likely. One of the most notorious regions for large hail is northern India and Bangladesh, which have reported more hail-related deaths than anywhere else in the world and also some of the largest hailstones ever measured. Mainland China is also notorious for killer hailstorms. Certain locations in North America (such as the area around Calgary, Alberta) have gained the nickname "Hailstorm Alley" among meteorologists for the frequency of hailstorms and their severity.[1]

Hail clouds often exhibit a characteristic green coloration.

Hailstones, while most commonly only a few millimetres in diameter, can sometimes grow to 15 centimetres and weigh more than half a kilogram (1.1 pounds)^[2]. Pea or golfball-sized hailstones are not uncommon in severe storms. Hail can do serious damage, notably to automobiles, skylights, glass-roofed structures, and most commonly, farmers' crops. Rarely, massive hailstones have been known to cause concussions or fatal head trauma. Sometimes, hail-producing clouds are identifiable by their green colouration.[2][3]

Costly or deadly hailstorms

April 20, 2006 hailstorm on San Marcos, Texas

• Around the 9th century, several hundred pilgrims were killed by a massive hailstorm in Roopkund, Uttarakhand, India.[4]
• March 29, 1990: Last known hail fatality in the United States - Juan Oseguera, a nineteen year old man who died from head injuries after being hit by a softball sized hailstone in Lake Worth, Texas [5]
• July 11 1990, Denver, Colorado, USA, Softball-sized hail destroyed roofs and cars, causing $625 million in total damage.
• September 7, 1991: a Labour Day thunderstorm caused $400 million worth of insurable damage in Calgary. Thirteen additional hailstorms between 1981 and 1998 caused an estimated $600 million in damage in the Calgary area alone.[6][7]
• May 5 1995, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, USA, $1.1 billion insured losses.
• April 14 1999, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, $1.5 billion. 20,000 properties and 40,000 vehicles were damaged during the storm with more than 25 aircraft damaged at Sydney Airport, one person was killed while fishing after getting struck by lightning and several other people were injured. It was the costliest hailstorm to hit an Australian populated city. [8] Largest stone measured was 9.5cm.
• May 18 2000, McHenry, Lake, northern Kane, and northern Cook County, Illinois, USA, $572 million [9]. Golfball-, baseball-, and softball-sized hail damaged roofs, cars, patio furniture, skylights, and windows in the area's worst and most widespread hailstorm in 30 years. Around 100,000 homes lost power. Hail was 3 inches deep in many areas. There were 100 canceled flights, and train service was disrupted. [10][11]
• April 10 2001, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Costliest in US history, largest swath of very large hail, >$1.9 billion insured losses.
• July 19 2002, Henan Province, the People's Republic of China, 25 dead and hundreds injured.
• June 22 2003, Aurora, Nebraska, USA, Largest hailstone on record falls. It has a 7-inch diameter and a circumference of 18.75 inches.

Also, a freak hailstorm hit Los Angeles County in December, 1967, blanketing the region much like a snowstorm. The storm also produced lightning, and one bolt struck an oil tank in Manhattan Beach, causing an explosion that covered much of the South Bay with the oil. The next hailstorm to hit the area was in 1979.

Gallery

Hail Shaft	Small hail that has been fractured to show internal structure; 246x magnification. The inset shows the original hail.	Hailstorm in Bogotá, Colombia.	A field littered with large hailstones right after a summer hailstorm.
Small transparent hail beads on the ground after a short spring storm.	Large hailstones up to 5 cm in diameter with concentric rings. The coin diameter is 21.25 mm.	April 20, 2006 hailstorm on San Marcos, Texas	Hailstorm

See also

• Sleet
• Snow pellets
• Ice pellets
• Snow grains
• Hail cannon

References

• Rogers and Yau (1989). A Short Course in CLOUD PHYSICS. Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-3215-1. 

External links

• Hail Research Information Center
• Images of hail and severe hailstorms from southwestern Germany
• Images of hail and hailstorms
• Hail factsheet
• Using sound to break up hail
• Youtube Video of large hailstorm in progress

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hail

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - hagl, byge, regn
v. intr. - hagle
v. tr. - lade det hagle med

idioms:

• a hail of    en byge af

2.
v. tr. - hilse, hilse velkommen, hylde, råbe an
v. intr. - stamme fra, praje
int. - hil!
n. - hilsen, råben, prajning, ballade, spektakel

idioms:

• hail from    stamme fra, komme fra
• Hail Mary    Ave Maria
• within hail    indenfor hørevidde

Nederlands (Dutch)
begroeten, aanroepen, erkennen als, trouw bekennen, hagelen, doen neerkomen, groet, 'Heil..!', hagel, hagelsteen, hagelstorm

Français (French)
1.
n. - grêle, (fig) grêle de
v. intr. - grêler
v. tr. - héler

idioms:

• a hail of    une grêle/une avalanche de

2.
v. tr. - saluer qn (comme étant), acclamer qn comme
v. intr. - saluer qn (comme étant), acclamer qn comme
int. - Salut (excl)
n. - salut

idioms:

• hail from    venir de (sout), être de
• Hail Mary    (Relig) Ave ou Ave Maria, "Je vous salue Marie"
• within hail    à portée de la victoire, proche de la victoire

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Hagel
v. - hageln

idioms:

• a hail of    ein -hagel, -regen

2.
v. - zujubeln, anrufen
int. - heil!, sei gegrüßt!
n. - Zuruf, Gruß

idioms:

• hail from    kommen von
• Hail Mary    Ave Maria
• within hail    hörbar

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - προσφωνώ, χαιρετίζω, χαιρετώ, καλωσορίζω, επικροτώ, ζητωκραυγάζω, καλώ, κράζω, φωνάζω, ρίχνει χαλάζι
n. - προσφώνηση, χαιρετισμός, κλήση, κραυγή, (μετεωρ.) χαλάζι

idioms:

• a hail of    καταιγισμός
• hail from    κατάγομαι από, προέρχομαι από
• Hail Mary    (θρησκ.) Χαιρετισμός (της Θεοτόκου)
• within hail    (καθομ.) δυο βήματα, (πολύ) κοντά

Italiano (Italian)
salutare, grandinare, grandine

idioms:

• a hail of    una gragnuola di
• hail from    venire da
• Hail Mary    Ave Maria
• within hail    a portata di voce

Português (Portuguese)
v. - saudar, aclamar, granizar
n. - aclamação (f), granizo (m)

idioms:

• a hail of    saudações de
• hail from    natural de
• Hail Mary    Ave (f) Maria (Rel.)
• within hail    à distância da voz

Русский (Russian)
приветствие, провозглашать, окликать, приветствовать, сыпаться градом, град, оклик

idioms:

• a hail of    град (чего-либо)
• hail from    быть родом из, быть приписанным к какому-либо порту
• Hail Mary    католическая молитва Аве Мария
• within hail    недалеко, в пределах слышимости

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - granizo, granizada, lluvia
v. intr. - granizar, llover
v. tr. - granizar, llover

idioms:

• a hail of    una lluvia de

2.
v. tr. - llamar, saludar, aclamar
v. intr. - llamar, saludar, aclamar
int. - Salve!
n. - llamado, saludo, aclamación

idioms:

• hail from    ser de, proceder de, venir de
• Hail Mary    Avemaría
• within hail    estar al alcance de la voz

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - hagla, hälsa, kalla på
n. - hagel, hälsning, (an)rop

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
1. 欢呼, 打招呼, 招呼, 来自, 招呼致意, 向...欢呼, 承认...为, 为...喝彩, 拥立

idioms:

• a hail of    一阵的...
• hail from    来自
• Hail Mary    万福马利亚
• within hail    在附近

2. 使像冰雹般落下, 下冰雹, 冰雹般落下, 雹, 一阵, 冰雹, 好啊, 欢迎

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
1.
v. tr. - 使像冰雹般落下
v. intr. - 下冰雹, 冰雹般落下
n. - 雹, 一陣, 冰雹
int. - 好啊, 歡迎

2.
n. - 歡呼, 打招呼
v. intr. - 招呼, 來自, 招呼致意
v. tr. - 向...歡呼, 承認...為, 為...喝彩, 擁立

idioms:

• a hail of    一陣的...
• hail from    來自
• Hail Mary    萬福馬利亞
• within hail    在附近

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 우박, 쏟아지는 것, 싸락눈
v. intr. - 싸락눈이 내리다, 빗발치듯 퍼 붓다
v. tr. - ~을 빗발치듯 퍼 붓다

idioms:

• a hail of    ~의 빗발

2.
v. tr. - ~에게 인사하다, 환호하여 맞이하다, ~이라고 부르다
v. intr. - 큰소리를 지르다
int. - 만세, 야, 반갑네
n. - 큰 소리로 부름, 인사, 환영

idioms:

• hail from    ~에서 오다, ~의 출신이다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ひょう, あられ, 雨あられのような…, 呼びかけ, 歓呼
v. - あられが降る, 歓呼して迎える, 呼んで迎える, 大声で呼ぶ

idioms:

• a hail of    雨あられの
• hail from    出身である, …から来る
• Hail Mary    天使祝詞
• within hail    声の届く所に

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) تمطر السماء بردا, ينهمر كالبرد, ينادي, يحيي, يرحب ب, يمطره بوابل من (الاسم) برد, وابل كالبرد, تحيه, ترحيب, هتاف, نداء‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ברד‬
v. intr. - ‮ירד (ברד)‬
v. tr. - ‮המטיר‬
v. tr. - ‮הריע, קרא, בירך, עשה סימן כדי למשוך שימת-לב‬
v. intr. - ‮היה (במקורו) ממקום מסוים‬
n. - ‮מרחק המשפיע על אפשרות הברכה, ברכה, קריאת שלום‬
int. - ‮קריאת ברכה‬

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