- Hail is the only form of precipitation that is commonly measured according to each individual hailstone's size.
- It is typically measured according to an individual diameter of a particular hailstone, perhaps the largest one that is observed, so that a report is given stating that hail as large a particular diameter was observed in a certain location. This measurement is then often compared to everyday objects such as pea-size, golf ball size, or baseball size!!
- Since hail can be a very devastating form of precipitation, it is very important to note the size of the hail so that it can be related to resulting damages to nature and property.
- Hail can be measured for its liquid equivalence by melting an accumulated area of hailstones. It is important that hailstones are collected in an area that is large enough account for bouncing and rebounding. [Hail stones are not collected efficiently by a typical funnel such as that on a rain guage because of this bouncing effect as it collides with a surface at relatively high speeds.]
- It can also be of some importance to measure the depth of hail accumulation. This can be done with the use of a simple ruler or measuring stick immediately after the hail has fallen, because it tends to melt very quickly.
You have now reached the end of this tutorial! I hope that your learning experience hasn't been too precipitous!
Click here to view references!
Click here for the Main Precipitation Page!