What is hail?

Hail is produced when supercooled rain drops circulate in an area with an upward fl ow of a Cumulonimbus cloud. While the drops circulate through areas with different temperatures and humidity levels, they grow on and on in different ice layers. The hailstone freezes and melts alternatively when he moves through the cold and hot air.

The clouds reach a height of 15000 metres, at a temperature of -50°C. The higher this cloud belt, the bigger the hailstone. This hail is created during a summer storm and can not be compared to winter hail, which is actually supercooled rain (frozen rain drops). Winter hail often comes down as drizzle.

During a summer storm, there is a big potential difference between the ground and the cloud, with a thunderbolt (discharge) as a result. What winter hail is concerned, there is no sign of potential difference.