What is Hail?

We camp in the mountains every year and aren't surprised when there is a shower every afternoon. One year we were hiking a few miles away and got caught in the rain.

When we returned back to our camp, the whole area was covered with small pieces of hail. Even though we weren't that far away, all we had was rain where the campsite had rain and hail. A few hours later the sun came out and you would have thought nothing strange had ever happened.

Once when we were traveling through the state of Nebraska we could see a big storm coming so we figured it was a good time to pull over and stop for the night.

We were glad we did as there was a lot of hail with the storm and we were glad we weren't trying to drive in it. The next morning as we went on our way you could see where the hail had stripped the corn fields almost bare.

When I think about the amount of loss the farmers had to deal with because of the hail damage it was almost overwhelming.

Last summer the area we live in had a bad hail storm. In just a matter of minutes the hail destroyed hundreds of vehicles and homes.

We live down a dead end road where there are only six houses grouped together. Every one of us had to have our roofs replaced because of the hail damage. Thankfully all of us had insurance to cover the cost of a new roof.

It is amazing how much damage can be done in such a short amount of time. The storm came on very quickly and was over just about as fast, but it didn't take long for the hail to cause a lot of damage.

@wavy58 – Hail doesn't melt as quickly as you might think. For one thing, it usually rains before it hails, and that rain cools off the ground quite a bit. Once the hail arrives, it's falling on much cooler soil.

The smaller and more scattered the hailstones, the quicker they will melt. The bigger, more concentrated hailstones huddle together on the ground and act like an ice pack. They take much longer to melt, even in the summer.

One summer, a horrible hailstorm came to my area. Golf ball sized hail covered the yard.

After it stopped, I went outside, and I could see steam rising everywhere. The hail made the air around it feel cold!

How long does hail remain on the ground after it hits? I know that a lot of places get thunderstorms mostly during the summer, and I would think that the ground would be warm enough to melt the hail rather quickly. Am I right?

My local weather station takes hail reports from people living in the viewing area. They ask people to email their photos of hail from a storm that is in progress, and then they show the photos on the air during the news.

People usually hold the hailstones in their hands for these photos. That gives everyone perspective on just how big they are.

I've seen photos of people holding everything from pea sized hail to golfball sized hail. However, I've never seen a photo of one as big as a grapefruit!

Hail damage repair can be very costly. My dad had parked his truck out in the yard before a big hailstorm hit, and it totally dinged up the hood and the roof.

Luckily, he had insurance that would cover the cost. After that, he built a shed and attached it to the side of the house, and now we all have enough room to park our vehicles under a roof.

@anon264086: According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word "hail" comes from the Middle English and Old English word, "haegl," which is akin to the Old High German "hagal" and it first came into use before the 12th Century. So it's an old, old, *old* word.

Where did the name hail come from? Who thought up the name hail?

I always wanted to know this information. I live in Northwest Indiana and we had a hailstorm last night.

Thanks.

thanks! very helpful!

thanks. I'm doing my home work right now. i almost failed! thank you, thank you, thank you!