Through the years, hail has been dangerous enough to cause extensive damage and fascinating enough to prompt scientific study.
Following are some facts about hail:
- The largest hailstone ever recovered in the U.S. had a diameter of 7 inches and circumference of 18 3/4 inches. It was found in Aurora, Neb., June 22, 2003, and was about the size of a soccer ball. (www.how-to-paintless-dent-repair.com/hail-facts.html)
- The heaviest hailstone on record in the U.S. was found in Coffeyville, Kan., Sept. 3, 1970. It had a diameter of 5.67 inches, circumference of 17 1/2 inches and weighed 1.67 pounds—about the size of a grapefruit. (www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2003/weather/hail-facts.htm)
- Large hailstones can fall at speeds faster than 100 miles per hour. (www.how-to-paintless-dent-repair.com/hail-facts.html)
- A 625-square-mile area located near where the borders of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming meet is called Hail Alley because it receives between seven and nine days of hail each year. (www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99107.htm)
- A hailstorm outside Paris in 1360 during the Hundred Years' War is said to have killed hundreds of English soldiers, leading to King Edward III abandoning his conquest of France. (www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99107.htm)
- Hail causes $1 billion in damage to crops and property each year. (www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2003/weather/hail-facts.htm)
- When a hailstone is cut in half, it has concentric rings like an onion, which reveal the number of times it traveled to the top of the storm before falling to the ground. (www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2003/weather/hail-facts.htm)
- Hailstorms rarely last longer than 15 minutes. (www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2003/weather/hail-facts.htm)
- The most expensive hailstorm in the U.S. was in St. Louis April 10, 2001, costing more than $2 billion. (absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hail)
This Web exclusive information is a supplement to Holy hail!.
