The birth of clouds is a very interesting process, where the water cycle, the composition of the atmosphere and the meteorological conditions converge. No cloud is the same as another, each one is different, just as humans are. But there are formation patterns that have made it possible to classify the types of clouds, some of them surprising for their ephemeral beauty. And perhaps the most impressive are those that discharge a large amount of water precipitation, but even more impressive can be the plummeting fall of ice from them. Hundreds of hailstones fall on the earth when the optimal conditions for it make it possible and although they are mostly harmless, there are other cases where hail can be gigantic like the one that recently fell in Australia.
Giant hail rain in Australia
Australia is one of the most emblematic exotic paradises on the planet, its geographical composition and its climate have helped to create the most impressive beings that cannot be seen in any other region of the world. But its climate is also special, how hot weather can arise, how big storms can also precipitate. Recently 18 storm cores hit the northeast coast of the country, mainly affecting cities such as Mackay and Darling Downs.
But the greatest damage originated in Yalboroo located in the northeast of Australia, where it rained giant hail. The diameters of the solid spheres of frozen water even reached measurements greater than 10 centimeters. One of these huge boulders of ice broke the national record, according to the Australian Meteorological Agency (BOM). The colossal-sized hail spewed a measure of 16 centimeters in diameter, the largest ever seen in Australia, though not worldwide. The previous record was 14 centimeters in diameter.
Why is the giant hail generated?
According to the calculations of the BOM, the giant rock of ice must have fallen at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour. A dangerous speed when it comes to objects that fall from the sky directly towards the surface. The damage became apparent when the roof of a shopping center collapsed after the constant pounding of giant hail. The building had to be evacuated, however, no injuries were reported.
The Meteorological Agency also explained that the passage of a vanguard at medium levels of the atmosphere, together with the passage of cooler, drier winds from the south, with warm, moist air blowing in from the ocean, they caused the drizzle of giant hailstones. A convergence of all the optimal conditions for the birth of ice rocks finally brought down the storm over Australia.
It is expected that in the coming days the storms will continue their passage through that nation, although with less force than the previous ones. In any case, the authorities have alerted the population to any mishap. On occasions when nature shows its storm, man cannot act in the face of such force and he only has to take shelter to look at the indomitable beauty of Mother Earth.
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