Job 28:22-3 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
In exodus 9:23, Joshua 10:11, Isaiah 30:30, Ezekiel 13:11&13,38:22, and Revelations 16 God uses Hail to bring forth judgment upon the enemies of God. Hailstones are large chunks of ice that fall from a storm. They can be anywhere from the size of a pea, all the way to the largest hailstones that can be larger than a softball. One storm was even described as bowling balls falling from the sky. Hail storms are highly destructive and every year do billions of dollars in damage to crops and property, and yes, can kill people.
Hail is formed from updrafts within thunderstorms as it pushes rain high into the cloud where very cold air freezes it. Once frozen it starts to fall but gets caught in another strong updraft where it gathers more moisture on its way back up making it larger. If the updrafts are strong enough they will continue this process for long periods of time allowing the hail to accumulate more moisture and more moisture. In a severe thunderstorm downdrafts may act like a wedge and increase the intensity of the updraft. Updrafts can get so strong they even intrude into the stable stratosphere. When updrafts are this strong it becomes possible to suspend large hail for long periods of time further adding moisture to the hail, sometimes building it to incredible sizes. Updraft winds can be from 100 to 120 miles per hour when producing baseball and larger size hail.
It is estimated that hail can fall to earth at speeds upwards of 80 mph. There are not a lot of measurements exactly and a precise formula is quite complicated given the many factors present within a thunderstorm. It would be safe to say that, well, you really don’t want to find out for yourself. If you are lucky, you will only escape with large bruises. Hail is not something you would want to mess with and it is best to take shelter in a sturdy building away from any windows should a hail storm be approaching.
And Finally, a more common hailstorm I filmed.
Great information! I remember the hail around the 2008 tornado in Neosho, MO. I weathered that one on the well house porch. My one attempt to make it back to the house resulted in a horrible bruise being pelted by the biggest hail I've ever seen!
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