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🌩️ What you’re seeing
- The sky is dark and stormy, indicating a strong thunderstorm system.
- Ice balls (hailstones) are scattered on the ground, cars, and sidewalks.
- Some hailstones are unusually large and oddly shaped, including:
- Smooth round ones
- Layered or “ridged” discs (like in the hand)
- Chunky, irregular pieces
🧊 What is hail?
Hail forms when strong updrafts inside storm clouds (called cumulonimbus clouds) carry raindrops upward into very cold areas of the atmosphere. There, they freeze and grow as more layers of ice build up.
- Repeated cycles up and down in the cloud → larger hailstones
- Stronger storm → bigger hail
📏 Size comparison (based on images)
The hail shown appears to range from:
- Golf ball size (~4–5 cm)
- Up to possibly tennis ball or larger (~6–8+ cm)
That qualifies as severe hail, capable of causing damage.
