How Hail Happens

What is hail?

• Golfballs falling from the sky

• Ice Clumps falling from the sky

• Ice semi circles falling from the sky

• Phones falling from the sky

What is precipitation?

• The part of the water cycle when the sun heats up water, turning it from a liquid into water vapor or steam. It rises from the ground into the air.

• The part of the water cycle when the water vapor in the air gets cold. The water turns back into a liquid and forms clouds.

• The part of the water cycle when clouds get heavy and can no longer hold the liquid water. This causes the water to fall from the sky to the earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

True or False: Hail is formed by water falling from a cloud and freezing on the way to the ground.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

True or False: Hail is formed in the clouds; then falls to the ground.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What causes hail to form?

• Hail forms when raindrops freeze in warm temperatures.

• Hail forms when water droplets collide with dust particles in the atmosphere.

• Hail forms when water droplets in a cloud get very cold and collide with other supercooled water droplets.

• Hail forms when snowflakes in clouds melt and then refreeze.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

What is the primary condition necessary for hail formation in clouds?

• High temperatures

• Low temperatures

• High humidity

• Low pressure

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Which layer of the atmosphere is hail most commonly formed in?

• Troposphere

• Stratosphere

• Mesosphere

• Thermosphere

What role do updrafts play in the formation of hail?

• They melt the hailstones

• They keep hailstones suspended in the cloud

• They cause hailstones to fall faster

• They have no effect on hailstones

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

What is the typical size range for hailstones?

• 1-5 mm

• 5-50 mm

• 50-100 mm

• 100-200 mm

How does the size of a hailstone relate to the strength of the updraft?

• Stronger updrafts create smaller hailstones

• Stronger updrafts create larger hailstones

• Updraft strength has no effect on hailstone size

• Weaker updrafts create larger hailstones

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5