Why does it hail in summer?

Hail must form in convective clouds. The weather is hot in summer, and the sun scorches the earth. It is easy to produce a large amount of hot and humid air near the ground. The water vapor in the air rises with the airflow. The higher the altitude, the higher the temperature. If the altitude continues to increase and the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius, the water droplets will condense into solid ice particles.

Under the repeated rise and fall, adsorption and condensation, the ice particles will become larger and larger. When the ice particles grow large and heavy enough, there will not be enough updraft to push them upward. , it will fall to the ground. If it still appears as solid ice particles when it reaches the ground, it is the hail seen in summer. Extended information

Hail types

1. Hail: ice cubes with a diameter of more than 5 mm, which are relatively hard and will rebound when they hit the ground; each hailstone consists of an opaque core and The outer core consists of layers of alternating transparent and opaque ice. This is the most damaging form of hail.

2. Soft hail: The structure is loose, light in weight, and easily broken when it hits the ground. This type of hail is called soft hail. This type of hail causes less damage. Soft hail generally occurs at higher latitudes or on plateaus.

3. Ice pellets: small solid ice balls or ice cubes with a diameter of less than 5 mm. They have a hard structure and will bounce when they fall to the ground, so some people also call them small hailstones. The damage is less severe than hail.

4. Graupel: white or milky white opaque granular solid precipitation with a diameter of 2-5 mm. The structure is soft, often spherical or conical, and easily broken when touching the ground.

Hail disaster

Except for Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, Jiangxi and other provinces, which have less hail, various regions in China are affected by hail disasters of varying degrees every year. Especially in the mountainous and hilly areas of the north, the terrain is complex, the weather is changeable, hail is abundant, and the damage is heavy, which is very harmful to agriculture. The violent hail destroys crops, damages houses, people are injured, and livestock are killed. Happens often. Therefore, hail is one of the serious disasters in our country.

Reference material: Xinhuanet "Why does hail fall in summer"

Science China "Hail falls in hot weather. Isn't it more unfair than Dou E?" 》