Dangerous hail the size of a tennis ball rained down on parts of Spain’s Catalonia region this week. The big brother of the ice smashed car windows and injured dozens of people. A 20-month-old baby died after being hit in the head by a falling rock. The hailstones — some as large as 11 inches — are the largest in the region in two decades. According to a study, weather patterns can change, making such storms more common.
Scientists from the University of Bern, the University of New South Wales and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology examined the effects of climate change on hailstorms in the journal Nature in 2021, the news channel Euronews reported. Conclusion: “In most regions, the severity of hailstorms is expected to increase with climate change.” But it’s not that simple, because the science behind it is a bit complicated.
This is how hailstones reach their enormous size
During a thunderstorm, updrafts carry water droplets into the atmosphere. When the air is cold enough, these droplets freeze. As moisture from the air collects on the outside of the frozen droplets, they expand. A rock grows until the updraft that holds it up can no longer carry it. When there is a lot of moisture in the air and the wind that sustains it is very strong, a hailstone gets bigger.
According to the study, climate change makes these conditions more likely because warmer air contains more water vapor. Strong storms — with powerful updrafts — also become more likely as weather patterns change.
Don’t always melt before they hit the ground
While the “melting point” — the height at which hail begins to melt before it hits the ground — will increase as the Earth warms, it won’t prevent giant hailstones. While small rocks melt in rain, large rocks fall faster so they don’t always melt before hitting the ground. The study warns: Global warming is expected to increase moisture at depth and an air mass’s ability to withstand vertical movement. This increases the risk of hailstorms and the formation of larger hailstones.
While climate change will likely result in larger hailstones, it won’t necessarily increase the frequency of hailstorms — at least not everywhere. That’s because hailstorms need certain conditions to form. In addition to a moisture-rich environment and high winds, they also need a specific type of weather front: hailstones thrive in areas with warm, moist surface air beneath cool, dry air.
Unsure how thunderstorms are changing around the world
Scientists’ observers show that the frequency of hailstorms will increase in Australia and Europe. In East Asia and North America, the probability should decrease. On Twitter, British meteorologist Scott Duncan warned against jumping to conclusions: “It’s hard to know exactly how thunderstorms change around the world.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
