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  1. Hail - Wikipedia

    Hailstones generally fall at higher speeds as they grow in size, though complicating factors such as melting, friction with air, wind, and interaction with rain and other hailstones can slow their descent …

  2. Severe Weather 101: Hail Basics

    Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried upward by thunderstorm updrafts into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze. Hailstones then grow by colliding with liquid water drops that …

  3. What Is Hail? Definition, Formation, and Facts

    Feb 4, 2024 · Hail is a type of solid precipitation that forms during thunderstorms. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, known as hailstones. Unlike snow and sleet, hail is most common in the …

  4. Hail | Hailstorms, Precipitation, Hailstones | Britannica

    Nov 26, 2025 · Large hailstones are often characterized by alternating layers of clear and opaque ice, caused by irregular rates of freezing. In areas where the temperature is not far below 0 °C (32 °F), …

  5. How hail – of all shapes and sizes – forms, falls from sky

    Aug 14, 2020 · The process of hailstone formation and growth implies that the original ice pellets or small hailstones collide with super cooled water droplets.

  6. HAILSTONE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of HAILSTONE is a pellet of hail.

  7. What Is Hail and How Does It Form? Hail Basics and Size Chart

    May 31, 2021 · The hailstone forms as it collides with supercooled water drops (liquid drops surrounded by air that is below freezing) inside the cloud, which freeze onto the hailstone’s surface, adding …

  8. Weather Words: Hailstones | Weather.com

    May 22, 2025 · When a strong thunderstorm begins dropping hailstones it can often be surprising and many times terrifying, especially when the stones are large. They form when a raindrop is carried …

  9. hailstone - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    Sep 6, 2025 · From Middle English hailston, haylestone, hawelston, hawleston, from Old English hagolstān (“hailstone”), from Proto-West Germanic *haglastain, from Proto-Germanic *haglastainaz, …

  10. Weather Words: Hailstones | Weather Underground

    May 20, 2025 · Hail forms when powerful thunderstorm updrafts lift raindrops high into freezing temperatures, allowing them to grow before falling to the ground. The stronger the updraft, the larger …