Have you ever seen hail?
By anawar
@anawar (2404)
United States
July 28, 2008 8:13pm CST
Almost every night the weather warning bulletin announces thunderstorms, heavy rain, damaging winds and hail. It never happens in my area.
Until a few nights ago when the thunder and lighting exploded all around the apartment building. I heard this tap, tap, and then a heavier pounding noise, and I said Uh-oh. Hail.
I tried to take a picture of the little balls of ice left on the lawn, but you can't tell from the pictures.
No vehicles were damaged, the hail was too small.
One year in Texas, we had a rental car destroyed by hail. Some people tell me they have seen hail the size of golf balls, and others have seen grapefruit sized hail!
Oh, one year I had my roof destroyed by hail storms, twice! Yikes!
Have you ever seen this phenomenon? What's your story?
6 people like this
18 responses
@jinxky (2248)
• Philippines
30 Jul 08
yeah ive already seen hail but it was long ago, i think 8-10 years ago. i remember i was at the computer shop when i saw hail. it's just like a cube falling from the clouds hehehe.. the cubes are bouncing from the jeepney & i really saw it. my cousin told me that his friend's house got destroyed coz of the hail..
@Linda4ualways (2282)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Oh yes, I have seen hail plenty of times here where I live. It's not safe to venture outside while or after hail because being that they are ice pellets, it causes an icy and slippery situation. Take care and God Bless!
@eachen2002 (889)
• United States
30 Jul 08
My family and i went to Memorial Park for the 4th of July and we got hit with alot of hail and it tore up the window seals,my daughter got really scared because it was hitting so hard.It's hard to believe that such small little pieces can cause so much damage.
1 person likes this
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
eachen - I think the size is as important as the density of the hail. Some hail is soft and doesn't damage anything. It's the hard balls that wreak havoc!
Hail on the 4th of July? Some celebration. I guess Mother Nature thought hail worked as well as fireworks to celebrate the holiday. 
1 person likes this
@vinh88 (17)
• Canada
30 Jul 08
Hail happens once or twice here in Ontario... to me it's nothing big at all. I just hear some pretty heavy tap tap noises on my windows, look out, and just go "Oh look, its hailing", watch it for a a few seconds and just go back to doing what I was doing.
I don't know, I never thought it was really a huge thing...
1 person likes this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I have seen hail, but never really big hail. Perhaps the biggest was about the size of a nickel. And that was in Central Florida. There was so much of it, that I made sure I got a picture. It looked like our yard was blanketed in snow. 
1 person likes this
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
kenzie - I wish you had a picture to post with your comment. I lived in Central Florida as well. I remember two hail storms. I wonder if we were both in that state at the same time?
We had roof damage though. I was at my job during the storm and there wasn't any hail in that area. I only found out when I got home. I was so mad I missed it!
1 person likes this
@justinshafere (1)
• United States
29 Jul 08
Yes, i have seen hail. Growing up in indiana, i saw lots of hail, usually not bigger than a nickel.
@cyberfluf (4996)
• Netherlands
29 Jul 08
Yes I have. It's a quite common phenomenon in Holland, we can get very small hailstones and sometimes they even were as large as tennisballs and because of that very dangerous. No one could go out and they damaged cars and would have done some serious injury to any unprotected skull. This is very rare though, most of the times they are fairly small and will hurt a little bit but won't cause bruising or anything it's just not nice but it won't injure you.
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
cyber - my favorite girl from Holland. Hail the size of tennis balls? Is there anything left to the cars after the storm, or are they totaled?
By the way - I told a few people about the discount for cultural art tickets in your country. Everyone was very impressed.
1 person likes this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
29 Jul 08
I've often seen regular hail Showers leaving the ground white like snow where I Live,but have never yet experienced one of these freak showers that would probably result in property or vehicle damage! I sure wouldn't like to be caught out in one of those!
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
31 Jul 08
I suppose it depends on the conditions in the area where the hail forms..apparently those freak hailstorms occur when what starts as rain freezes,but then upcurrents of air prevent it from falling,and it's drawn up in the air again,and another layer of moisture freezes on the little ice pellet,and the process continues until they're golf ball sized or bigger and can fall down causing the damage! Here,they can't be getting much bigger than the frozen raindrop stage before they fall,so they land fairly lightly and tend to melt quickly..
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
29 Jul 08
Nope, i have never seen nor experience any b4.. I should say that, singapore is actually quite a safe country, at least we are safe from natural diasters ^_^
@shymurl (2765)
• United States
31 Jul 08
yeah i've seen them break some glass at a grocery store and at schools and such. Hail usually forms when there is to much moisture in the air. Rain drops don't fall all the way they are sucked back in and frozen over, sometimes it refreezes over and over and thats how you get the different sized balls.
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Ouch. I don't think I want to get hit by one! I can't get a picture of golf size hail. It sounds too scary to me!
Because we don't grow anything in my area, I never considered that crops would be destroyed.
When you mention buildings, so you mean houses, or other structures? I don't think I've ever seen hail destroy any building other than a home,
I'm asking every few comments, if someone knows what weather conditions cause hail?
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I've never seen heavy hail, just light stuff and it's beautiful. The last time I saw it was a few months ago and it looked almost like snow on the ground. Very small, very pretty!
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
29 Jul 08
hi anawar oh yes back insouth dakota when I was a kid we'
often had hail storms with some pretty good sized hail stones
I remember having to herd a bunch of really stupid hens
into the hen house so they wouldnt get hit by the hail
and how stubborn they were to go inside where they
would be safe. we finally got them inside. the hail was
piled in drifts like snow only these were ice pellets.
I had a headache from being pounded on the head with the'
hail stones.
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Hatley - no way! I can almost picture you chasing those hens inside. I thought animals know more about surviving Mother Nature than humans.
Ouch, I bet that headache hurt more than the usual headache! I wonder if you get any lumps on your head? all because of the hens.
Hail piled in drifts like snow? Now, that I can't imagine, no matter how hard I try!
Thanks for the story. My face is smiling.
@angelodamroot (73)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I was suprised to read how excited you were about hail. i live in South Dakota so i see hail alot. I've had hail damage on my car, my house, and my 3 year old sons trike(lol). I'm glad you got to this it really is kind of cool.
@angelodamroot (73)
• United States
31 Jul 08
I am not a weather ecpert, I did try to find out more for you but im not very good at explaining things. I did find this http://weather.about.com/od/h/g/hail.htm. This site really explains it well. You should check it out. Let me know what you think.
@ashleecook (199)
• Canada
29 Jul 08
one of my fondest childhood memories involves me, my father and my mother all bundled up in the garage watching hail hit our house, lol! it didn't do any damage thankfully, and i was 8 years old so i thought it was pretty awesome! we were living in alberta, canada at the time.
@GardenGerty (160909)
• United States
29 Jul 08
My dad paid for my older sister a year of college by repairing roofs from a hailstorm in Oklahoma. We do get hail, fairly often. Have not had any major damage in over twenty years, personally.
@jammyt (2818)
• Philippines
29 Jul 08
There have been occasions here in the Philippines that hail has occurred. Not really the big ones but pebble like size. it's actually weird. It usually happens when the weather is too hot. The first one happened like 15 years ago I think, I was in HS. It was both exciting and scary.
It usually happens when the weather is too hot. The first one happened like 15 years ago I think, I was in HS. It was both exciting and scary.@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I think it's scary and exciting at the same time as well!
I worry about my vehicle though, out in the parking lot with no protection.
I think hail comes when there's a big difference between hot and cold air. I wish I could remember exactly how that works.
Maybe someone will explain it to me!
bye, jammy
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
29 Jul 08
I have never seen hail in my entire life... well even snow... i live in a country where there are only two season... the dry and wet season... and snow is not a part of the wet one... but i heard that hail can be very very dangerous... so it is best to stay indoors when there is a hail storm... i wouldn't want one as bit as a golf ball to hit my head...
@anawar (2404)
• United States
30 Jul 08
You're right! It can be painful to get hit by hail. Sometimes the rain hits so hard, it hurts.
Maybe someday you'll see snow. It's exciting watching it fall and cover trees, cars and streets. It's not so much fun to shovel though!
Thanks for stopping by. I always like to hear things about your country. I like learning about new places I know I will never see, except through the eyes of the people who live there.
@cowgirl03051979 (918)
• United States
18 Oct 11
yes i have seen hail plenty of times we get it at least two or three times a year here where i live mostly just during the hot summer months i think it is amazing to watch and i always like it when we do get hail but i hate all the damage that it does to your house, car, ect... the biggest hail i have ever seen though was only about the size of a golf ball it sounds small but it is enough to do a good bit of damage
