Scientists Discover Clues in Hailstones That Could Change What We Know About Weather

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00:00Scientists discover clues in hailstones that could change what we know about weather.

00:05Some people love the sound of rain, while others enjoy snow, but hail is rarely welcomed,

00:10causing billions in damage annually. Yet scientists have known little about how

00:15hailstones actually form. Traditionally, meteorologists believed hailstones cycle

00:20repeatedly up and down inside thunderstorm updrafts, layering ice until becoming heavy

00:25enough to fall. However, new laboratory techniques reading chemical fingerprints and hailstones

00:30challenge this theory. Researchers from China analyzed stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen

00:36in 27 hailstones from 9 storms. Surprisingly, only one showed the classic recycling pattern.

00:43Instead, 10 formed during steady descent, 13 showed a single upward push, and 3 moved horizontally.

00:50Hail begins with an embryo that grows through collision with supercooled water droplets.

00:55The alternating wet and dry growth phases create the characteristic layers.

01:00These findings will impact forecasting by showing that powerful updrafts can produce large hail

01:05without repeated cycles. This matters for predicting hail in fast-moving storms and could improve size

01:11estimates. Climate change complicates hail risk assessment, with regional variations expected.

01:18Improved forecasting will benefit agriculture, solar farms, and infrastructure planning.

01:23Citizen science has proven valuable, with volunteers collecting samples during storms,

01:28expanding research capabilities. Scientists plan to combine isotope data with radar and models

01:34to create a library of hailstone life stories, ultimately improving severe weather predictions as

01:39our climate continues to change.