Natural Disasters

Hailstone & Volcanic eruption

Hailstone
What are hailstones?
A hailstone is a round ball of 
ice which falls out of a storm 
cloud. About 5,000 hailstorms
a year in the 
United States of America make
hail 3/4 of an inch or larger.
How do hailstones form?

Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried

upward by thunderstorm updraft s into extremely
cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze. Hailstones
then grow by colliding with liquid water drops that
freeze onto the hailstone’s surface. If the water
freezes instantaneously when colliding with the
hailstone, cloudy ice will form as air bubbles will be
trapped in the newly formed ice. However, if the
water freezes slowly, the air bubbles can escape, and
the new ice will be clear. The hail falls when the
thunderstorm's updraft can no longer support the
weight of the hailstone, which can occur if the stone
becomes large enough or the updraft weakens .
How does hail fall to the ground? Luca is a hailstone

H a i l f a l l s w h e n i t b e c o m e s h e av y e n o u g h t o
ove rc o m e t h e s t re n g t h of t h e t h u n d e r s t o r m u p d ra ft
a n d i s p u l l e d t ow a rd t h e e a r t h by g ra v i t y. Sm a l l e r
h a i l s t o n e s c a n b e b l ow n a w a y f ro m t h e u p d r aft by
h o r i z o nt a l w i n d s , s o l a rg e r h a i l t y p i c a l l y f a l l s c l o s e r
t o t h e u p d ra ft t h a n s m a l l e r h a i l . If t h e w i n d s n e a r t h e
s u r f a c e a re s t ro n g e n o u g h , h a i l c a n f a l l at a n a n g l e o r
eve n n e a r l y s i d ew ays ! W i n d - d r i ve n h a i l c a n t e a r u p
s i d i n g o n h o u s e s , b re a k w i n d ow s a n d b l ow i nt o
h o u s e s , b re a k s i d e w i n d ow s o n c a r s , a n d c a u s e
s eve re i n j u r y a n d /o r d e at h t o p e o p l e a n d a n i m a l s .
How does hail fall to the
ground?
H a i l f a l l s w h e n i t b e c o m e s h e av y e n o u g h t o
ove rc o m e t h e s t re n g t h of t h e t h u n d e r s t o r m u p d ra ft
a n d i s p u l l e d t ow a rd t h e e a r t h by g ra v i t y. Sm a l l e r
h a i l s t o n e s c a n b e b l ow n a w a y f ro m t h e u p d r aft by
h o r i z o nt a l w i n d s , s o l a rg e r h a i l t y p i c a l l y f a l l s c l o s e r
t o t h e u p d ra ft t h a n s m a l l e r h a i l . If t h e w i n d s n e a r
t h e s u r f a ce a re s t ro n g e n o u g h , h a i l c a n f a l l at a n
a n g l e o r eve n n e a r l y s i d e w ays ! W i n d -d r i ve n h a i l
c a n t e a r u p s i d i n g o n h o u s e s , b re a k w i n d ow s a n d
b l ow i nt o h o u s e s , b re a k s i d e w i n d ow s o n c a r s , a n d
c a u s e s eve re i n j u r y a n d /o r d e a t h t o p e o p l e a n d
animals.
 What areas have the most hail?
A l t h ou gh Fl or ida h as t h e m ost t h u n der st or ms, Nebrask a , Col or ado, an d Wyo min g
u su al l y h ave th e m ost h a il sto r m s. Th e a rea w he re t h ese t h re e st at e s m eet – “ h ail
al l ey” – ave ra ges seven t o n in e h ail days per yea r. Ot h er par t s of t h e wor l d t h at h ave
dam agin g h ail st or ms in c l u de C h in a , Ru ssia, In dia an d n or t h er n It al y.
How large can hail get?

The largest hailstone recovered in the

United States fell in Vivian, South
Dakota, on June 23, 2010, with a
diameter of 8 inches and a circumference
of 18.62 inches. It weighed 1 lb 15 oz.
Volcanic
eruption
 What causes volcanic
eruption?
Volcanoes erupt when molten rock called
magma rises to the surface. Magma is formed
when the earth's mantle melts. Melting may
happen where tectonic plates are pulling
apart or where one plate is pushed down
under another. Magma is lighter than rock so
rises towards the Earth's surface.
Fun fact!

Have you ever wondered where

the word volcano comes from?

It comes from the world ‘vulcan’

who was the Roman God of fire!
Are all volcanic
eruptions the same?

No, the same volcano can produce

different magmas at different times and
sometimes even in the same eruption. It
depends on what has melted to form the
magma in the magma chamber and what
this magma has mixed with on its way to
the surface.
What are the four types of
volcanic eruption?

There are four types of eruptions

with proper ties determined mostly by
the silica content of magma, and the
amount of gas it contains. In order
of increasing explosiveness, these
are Hawaiian, Strombolian,
Vulcanian, and Plinian eruptions.
 What will happen when
volcano erupts?
When volcanoes erupt, they can spew hot,
dangerous gases, ash, lava and rock that
can cause disastrous loss of life and
property, especially in heavily populated
areas. Volcanic activities and wildfi res
affected 6.2 million people and caused
nearly 2400 deaths between 1998-2017.