Hail is a form of solid precipitation consisting of balls or irregular lumps of ice called hailstones. These stones are formed in cumulonimbus clouds, specifically during strong thunderstorms, where updrafts carry water droplets high into extremely cold regions of the atmosphere. As the droplets freeze and collide with supercooled water and other ice crystals, they grow in size. Eventually, the hailstones become too heavy for the updrafts to support, and they fall to the ground. Hail can range in size from pea-sized to larger than softballs, and it can cause significant damage to crops, vehicles, and property.
