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Updated: 3:51 PM Apr 27, 2011
Ask Josh: How Does Hail Form?
Josh Fitzpatrick explains how hail forms and the meaning of isolated storms.
Posted: 11:22 PM Jul 4, 2008Reporter: Josh Fitzpatrick Email Address: josh.fitzpatrick@wsaz.com |
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1 Comments 
Tis the season for afternoon pop up thunderstorms. Sometimes, it's either hit or miss. You may get a gutter-gushing downpour but your neighbor a couple miles down the road may not see a drop.
Billy Keen from Charleston wants to know how it can rain on one part of a city like the East End of Charleston but stay dry on the West Side. Billy, that happens a lot this time of year. When we talk about isolated storms, that's what we mean. Sometimes these isolated storms can be as small as a few miles wide. So, if that's the case, you can have a downpour over South Charleston but be dry at the state capitol.
Ruby from Cabell County wants to know how hail forms. We've had a lot of hail storms in the past couple weeks. When you have a thunderstorm this time of year, you can get hail. In a thunderstorm, it can be very cold in the upper part of the cloud. It can be freezing and even well below zero. You also have what's known as an updraft. That upward moving air. This can take a rain drop to the upper part of the cloud and freeze it. When it becomes heavy enough, it falls to the ground as ice and that's what we call hail. The stronger the updraft, the larger the hail stones.
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