We wanted to get back to basics after the latest hail-tastrophe. Former state climatologist Nolan Doesken answered some basic hail questions for Colorado Matters.
I’m at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where tow trucks are retrieving the hundreds of cars wrecked by hail yesterday. #cowxpic.twitter.com/EVGaqCTmg9
When Is Hail Season In Colorado? Why Was This One So Bad?
Hail starts falling in May and June, and comes to end in September. The fastest a hailstorm is, the worse the damage. The storm in Colorado Springs moved very fast.
Why Is Colorado So Prone To Hail Anyway?
Colorado's mix of high altitude and dry air is hail heaven. For those icy stones to form, strong, dry winds have to carry water up and up to the higher, colder parts of the atmosphere and hold them there.
Warming temperatures should actually reduce the chance of hail. Hotter summers, fewer balls of ice falling from the sky. Perhaps one day hail will be less frequent and less damaging, but not this year.
So, What Was The Biggest Hail Stone Ever?
Colorado's largest hail stone measured 4.5 inches in diameter. But South Dakota clinches the nationwide title, with an 8-inch stone that was found July 2010. It weighed nearly 2 pounds.