How does wind affect hail?
Smaller hailstones can be blown away from the updraft by horizontal winds, so larger hail typically falls closer to the updraft than smaller hail. If the winds near the surface are strong enough, hail can fall at an angle or even nearly sideways!
What causes hailstones?
Hail forms when strong currents of rising air, known as updrafts, carry droplets of water high enough that they freeze. A strong updraft allows hailstones to grow large enough to reach the ground. Simply put, the stronger the updraft, the larger the hail.
What is wind driven hail?
A wind-driven hail event is defined here as an event where severe hail greater than 1 inch in diameter occurs simultaneously with severe wind in excess of 50 knots. In that study they made mention of the importance of shear in the presence of severe wind in a storm.
What is the deductible for a windstorm and hail?
Example: A 2% named storm deductible on a home insured for $300,000, would be $6,000. With respect to a Windstorm or Hail loss, the deductible is a percentage of your Coverage A (Dwelling) amount and is shown on your policy declarations page.
What kind of hail does a storm produce?
Some storms, instead of producing large hail, instead produce copious amounts of small hail. Storms like these have produced hail drifts that, when captured in clogged drainage channels, formed piles of hail several feet deep.
Why do hailstones not fall at the same speed?
Due to the fact that hailstone do not come in one size all hailstones do not fall at the same speed. Typically the bigger the hailstone the faster it will fall. The other big factor is wind. Depending on the direction of the wind, it can slow down or speed up the hailstone.
How big is a hailstone when it falls?
“Hail can falls much faster, because its diameter can be larger. Its fallspeed is approximately given by 1.4 D 0.8 at sea level, the exact relationship depends on hail density and shape. For instance, a large hailstone of 8 cm (D=80 mm) weighs about 0.7 kg and falls at 48 m/s !”