What is the reason behind the increase in the size of hailstones and the frequency of their falling?

ArabiaWeather - The phenomenon of increasing hail sizes and repeated falls is considered one of the natural phenomena about which many questions and inquiries have been raised. What is the reason behind this phenomenon? But first, let us learn more closely about hailstones, how they form, and what factors help them to be of varying sizes.

What is a cold?

Answer: Hail is a type of precipitation that accompanies weather depressions, air fronts, atmospheric instability, and other weather conditions, as it consists of irregularly shaped balls of frozen water inside the clouds, and they fall to the ground in different sizes, and may be large and dense in size. some cases; Which causes severe material damage, and hail mostly forms inside cumulonimbus clouds, and is more common during the summer and warm seasons.

What is the reason behind the increase in the size of hailstones and the frequency of their falling?

Answer: Snow forms when water droplets rise upward during thunderstorms and are carried by rising air to parts of the atmosphere where the air is cold enough to freeze the droplets.

The moisture in the air accumulates on the outer surface of the ice droplets as they move through the air, causing the snow grains to grow into balls with layers like the layers of an onion. The speed of growth of the snow grains depends on the amount of moisture in the air, as they continue to grow until the rising air current weakens. , and becomes unable to keep it high in the air.

Studies show that an air stream rising at 103 kilometers per hour can carry snowflakes the size of a golf ball, while a 27% faster stream can carry pieces the size of a baseball, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, bringing in air with a higher percentage of humidity and currents. Strong updrafts tend to have larger pieces, with larger pieces falling close to the updraft, while smaller snowflakes fall farther from it, often blown far away by crosswinds.

But are there triggers that make hailstones so large?

Julian Brimelow, a physical science specialist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, explains how snow formation is affected by climate changes. He says devastating ice storms, characterized by chunks of ice larger than 25 millimeters in diameter, require certain conditions, including sufficient moisture, strong updrafts and “triggers,” such as air fronts.

It is noted that these conditions are often found in specific regions, such as the Great Plains in the United States and the city of Gold Coast in Australia. Generally, the air in these regions is cold and dry in the upper atmosphere, while the surface air is warm and humid, which leads to the formation of air currents. Strong thunderstorms and thunderstorms. These areas are particularly vulnerable to severe thunderstorms, which can produce very large ice chunks; Due to the intensity of the rising air currents.

As climate changes, the temperatures of the Earth's atmosphere and the amount of moisture in the air change, and warmer air can contain more water vapor, increasing the likelihood of heavy rain and severe storms in some areas. As the planet's temperatures continue to rise, areas are likely to change. Which may witness snow storms, which makes humidity one of the most limiting factors, and thus increases the frequency of these storms.

An increase in the intensity of ice storms and their potential effects

Researchers expect an increase in the frequency and intensity of ice storms in various regions around the world as a result of climate changes and according to their studies, preliminary analysis suggests that these storms may become more severe overall, with their frequency likely to decrease in some regions such as North America.

Studies indicate that the expected size of snowflakes may increase, and therefore they may be larger in precipitation situations, which means a greater impact in the areas they are exposed to. For example, a separate study conducted by Brimelo's research team shows that large snowflakes may remain together for a longer period before Melting, which increases its density and effect.

The data also shows that changes in temperature and humidity in the air can affect the density of hailstones, since in very cold conditions, water freezing instantly can lead to the formation of dense grains of ice, and conversely, in less cold conditions or With higher humidity, the grains may be less dense and more transparent.

Studies also show that large hailstones are often complex in structure, reflecting the complex conditions in which they form inside clouds, which increases the diversity and complexity of ice storms.

The effect of hailstone density on the speed of their growth

The density of hailstones also affects the speed of their growth, as the heavier they are, the more likely they are to fall from updrafts. In addition, larger hailstones fall more quickly, because the larger the size of the hailstone, the fewer clouds it must pass per unit of weight.

The heaviest hailstone ever recorded was the one that fell in the Gopalganj region of Bangladesh in 1986, weighing 1.02 kilograms. The hailstorm caused the death of 40 people and injured 400 others, according to media reports at the time, but later reports indicated that the number Deaths have reached about 92 people.

Read also:

Weather Sciences | What is hail, how does it form, and what damage does it cause, see the report....

What is hail and why does it sometimes fall in the summer?

Sources:

bbc

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