What you\u2019re seeing
\nThe sky is dark and stormy, indicating a strong thunderstorm system.
\nIce balls (hailstones) are scattered on the ground, cars, and sidewalks.
\nSome hailstones are unusually large and oddly shaped, including:
\nSmooth round ones
\nLayered or \u201cridged\u201d discs (like in the hand)
\nChunky, irregular pieces
\n\ud83e\uddca\u00a0What is hail?
\nHail 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.<\/p>\n
Repeated cycles up and down in the cloud \u2192 larger hailstones
\nStronger storm \u2192 bigger hail
\n\ud83d\udccf\u00a0Size comparison (based on images)
\nThe hail shown appears to range from:<\/p>\n
Golf ball size (~4\u20135 cm)
\nUp to possibly tennis ball or larger (~6\u20138+ cm)
\nThat qualifies as severe hail, capable of causing damage.<\/p>\n
\u26a0\ufe0f\u00a0Potential damage<\/p>\n
Hail of this size can:<\/p>\n
Dent or crack cars (as seen on the hood)
\nBreak windows
\nDamage roofs and siding
\nDestroy plants and trees (note the broken branches)
\nInjure people and animals if caught outside
\n\ud83d\udd2c\u00a0Why some hail looks unusual
\nThe ridged, flat, or spiky shapes form due to:<\/p>\n
Changing wind speeds inside the storm
\nPartial melting and refreezing
\nCollisions with other hailstones
\n\ud83c\udf2a\ufe0f\u00a0Storm severity
\nStorms that produce hail like this often include:<\/p>\n
Strong winds
\nHeavy rain
\nLightning
\nSometimes tornado risk
\n\ud83d\uded1\u00a0Safety tips during hailstorms
\nStay indoors and away from windows
\nPark vehicles in a garage or under cover
\nAvoid going outside during the storm
\nProtect your head if caught outside<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What you\u2019re seeing The sky is dark and stormy, indicating a strong thunderstorm system. Ice balls (hailstones) are scattered on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1403"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1405,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403\/revisions\/1405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}