Difference between hail and snow
There is a big difference between hail and snow. While snow falls in local latitudes only in the cold months, the hail also thunders from the sky in midsummer.
Meteorology is a fascinating field with many exciting questions and answers. The weather and forecast have preoccupied people for ages. Snow belongs to winter - a normal picture. Strong thunderstorms are part of the summer - occasionally with hailstorms.
The difference in rainfall
- First and foremost, dust is required for snow to form. Water freezes on these tiny grains of dust, creating an ice crystal. This happens in the upper, cold layers of the air. As they fall, the crystals continue to grow and combine with other ice crystals.
- In principle, such ice crystals also form in summer, but the warmth in the deeper layers of the air causes them to melt and evaporate.
- Snow consists of two basic forms: platelets or stars. The platelets are created at lower temperatures, you know this basic shape as powder snow. Star-shaped crystals form when the temperature is a little higher.
- An important difference between hail and snow can be seen in the shape: Snow is always a crystal, hail is a lump of ice.
A little wonder of nature. Snow. Everyone knows the white splendor and children love ...
Why hail falls in summer and snow in winter
- In order for hail to develop, a strong wind is necessary in the high clouds. Thick raindrops are thrown up and down by the wind in the thundercloud. Due to the cold in the upper cloud layer, the raindrops freeze to ice.
- When falling into a deeper layer, they pick up rain droplets again and these freeze again on the lump of ice when thrown up. This is where the size of the hailstone is decided, because the more often it is catapulted from the lower cloud layer into the upper one, the larger it becomes.
- Once the hailstone has made its way out of the cloud, it falls to the ground at high speed. A large hailstone falls much faster than a smaller lump of ice.
- There is a big difference between hail and snow: hail falls to the ground and snow hovers down to the earth.
In summer it is advisable to listen to the weather report, as hailstorms can cause enormous damage to the house and yard, but also to the car. Secure your car before the first grains fall from the sky, because if you are hit by the hail it can be very painful.
