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Why do hailstones get so big? Scientists are chasing storms to find answers

Dozens of scientists have descended on the US Great Plains to study hail, which can inflict damage on property and even take lives.
By
  1. Alexandra Witze

Hail regularly pulverizes crops and smashes up homes around the world — but it remains a scientific mystery despite its menace. Researchers still don’t know why some storms make monster hailstones, whereas others drop only harmless fragments of ice.

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Nature 642, 19 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01618-7

References

  1. Raupach, T. H. et al. Nature Rev. Earth Environ. 2, 213–226 (2021).

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  2. Gensini, V. A. et al. npj Clim. Atmos. Sci. 7, 185 (2024).

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