Here’s what you should know about the weather phenomenon known as hail

For many people the weather component known as hail is strange.

Hail can appear in weather systems at any time and in many parts of the world.

Hail has a complex history and is most prevalent in thunderstorm cells as it is forced back to the ground from the rapid rising and falling of simple raindrops.

For a detailed explanation of how hail is formed in thunderstorms, visit here.

Severe damage can occur to buildings, vehicles, people and animals.

If you “hail”, no pun intended, from areas such as Kansas and Oklahoma or many midwestern states, you have some real experience with hail!

Some hail may appear as small chunks of ice, as small as a pea or some larger examples the size of golf balls and larger.

Here are suggestions on what to do if you are in a hailstorm.

Damage can be severe as well as the insurance claims from hail and some of the most interesting hail related examples have us looking no further than right here in Arizona and in Phoenix.

Records show that the hail storm event of Oct. 5, 2010, was the single most damaging weather event with regards to insurance claims filed!

That storm in Phoenix had insurance claims, etc. in the realm of $3.2 billion.

Here is the map of where the hail hit.

For those of you that did not know about this, here is the story in detail.

Here is an additional video of what occurred that day.

On an even larger scale, the record damage in terms of human life lost, goes to a wicked storm which occurred back on April 30, 1888, in a region and town known as Moradabad in India.

There, some 246 people perished from this wicked storm.

Details here.

In that storm, the hailstones were as large as oranges!

The power of Mother Nature and storms of all kinds are something that all of us should be as prepared as we can, as danger can strike at any time!

With the Arizona monsoon season in full swing, we need to keep our eyes to the skies.

The history of the Arizona monsoon season is outlined here.

May your skies be clear and hail free!

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Podcasts are available here.