The tornado itself is not the cause of the hail. Hail is a phenomenon that occurs with thunderstorms that have strong updrafts. The hail forms as the updraft holds ice pellets aloft as layer after layer of supercooled water freezes to their surfaces. Eventually they become too heavy and fall out of the storm. The strongest updrafts are found in thunderstorms called supercells, which due to their rotation, are also the primary producers of tornadoes.
Tornadoes are often but not always accompanied by hail. However, the hail is not a result of the tornado itself but the storm that produces the tornado.
It can. Hail often does come before a tornado, but most storms that produce hail do not produce tornadoes.
Not necessarily. Tornadoes typically form in the rear portion of a supercell thunderstorm, while hail is often found further forward. So in many cases and area will get hail before the tornado moves through. But that that does not mean the tornado has not formed yet.
Yes, it is possible for hail to fall during a tornado-storm event without being detected by the weather service, especially in remote or sparsely populated areas where monitoring equipment is limited. Tornadoes can be localized and fast-moving, making it challenging for forecasters to accurately predict all aspects of the storm, including hail occurrences.
Tornadoes are usually accompanied by rain and are often accompanied by hail.
Tornadoes are often but not always accompanied by hail. However, the hail is not a result of the tornado itself but the storm that produces the tornado.
Yes, a thunderstorm that produces hail can be a good candidate to spawn a tornado. The strong updrafts that form hail in the storm can also create the necessary conditions for tornado development, such as a rotating updraft known as a mesocyclone. However, not all hail-producing storms will develop into tornadoes.
A tornado produces strong winds that spiral around a center of low pressure, causing immense damage by lifting and displacing debris in its path. It can also generate lightning and hail within the storm system.
It can. Hail often does come before a tornado, but most storms that produce hail do not produce tornadoes.
No, if there is a tornado or hail near a window is one of the least safe places to be.
No, the presence of hail does not necessarily indicate that a tornado is imminent. While hail can be associated with severe thunderstorms that may produce tornadoes, it is not a definitive indicator of an imminent tornado.
Often, but not always.
Yes. The storm that produced the Joplin tornado also produced hail up to 1 inch in diameter in the Joplin area.
Yes. Tornadoes a very often accompanied by large hail.
There is no given amount of precipitation for a tornado. The tornado itself often forms in a rain free area of a thunderstorm. The storm itself may range from a high-precipitation (HP) supercell, which produces extremely heavy rain to a low precipitation (LP) supercell, which produces little or no rain but may still produce large hail.
Hail most often occurs ahead of the tornado but it also frequently found in the hook of the storm, which wraps around behind and to the left of the tornado (with respect to its movement) in the northern hemisphere and to the right of it in the southern hemisphere.
Hail comes from cumulonimbus clouds.