by Ethel Smith

Created on: August 16, 2009   Last Updated: August 22, 2009

Hailstorms seem to be an obvious form of weather in those cold winter days but how come they can appear in the height of summer? Actually if truth be known there are far more hailstorms in summer than at other times of the year. Locally a hailstorm, with huge balls of hail, occurred just a few weeks ago, toward the end of July, and therefore during mid summer.

For those unsure just what hails is, it is quite simply a ball of frozen liquid. Its formation depends upon certain circumstances.High in the sky it is very cold even in our summers. Initially a particle of ice may be all that is needed. As it drops and comes into contact with something such as supercooled water the creation of hail begins.

A frozen ball of hail will start to fall from the sky, melting as it hits warmer air and clouds. In the right conditions this melting ball is however stopped in its tracks and blown back upwards by updrafts, or winds. If this occurs repeatedly, which it often does, the hail will gather more moisture and increase in size. This explains why some balls of hail have been reported to be the size of golf balls.

Hail can cause much damage to people, crops and structures as it falls to earth. This sometimes depends on the size of the hail stones but also the speed at which this hail travels to the ground.

Hailstones are formed as the liquid involved is supercooled water. Supercooled water will freeze if it has contact with any substance, such as a particle of ice or raindrops. These days it is thought that this supercooled water may form hail on raindrops at the back of a storm. Ultimately the balls of hail will become heavy enough to break through the updraft and head down to earth. Of course the earth's gravity plays its part. The winds and the weight of the hail determines how rapidly this hail may fall. It is really down to the accompanying weather and type of storm which is occurring.

Hailstorms tend to be more common in summer because of the warm weather and the ground's hotter temperatures. These both mean that conditions become perfect for creating the thunderstorms which usually accompany hail. One vital ingredient in hailstorms though is the winds with updrafts. Summer weather often has such winds and the right amount of heat at the earth's level. With a higher risk of thunderstorms in summer unfortunately hailstorms are more likely.

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