Hail
Also called: Hailstone, Hailstorm · Topic: Water in the Atmosphere: Humidity, Condensation, Clouds and Precipitation · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 3 "Landforms and Life"; Class 7, Ch 2 "Understanding the Weather"; Class 11, Ch 9 "Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems"; Class 11, Ch 10 "Water in the Atmosphere"
Meaning
Hail is rounded lumps of ice, called hailstones, with layers inside like an onion. They form inside a tall cumulonimbus, a towering thunderstorm cloud. Strong rising air carries drops up again and again through freezing levels. Each trip adds a new layer of ice, until the stone is too heavy and falls. Hail is patchy in both time and place, and it can badly damage crops, vehicles and roofs.
Example
In March and April, hailstorms in north India, for example in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, can flatten ripening rabi crops such as wheat. Farmers then often file crop-insurance claims.
Don't confuse with
- Sleet: small ice pellets no bigger than raindrops. They form when rain freezes while falling through a freezing layer of air near the ground. Hail grows in layers inside a storm cloud and can be much larger.