Latest news with #In-situCollaborativeExperimentfortheCollectionofHailInthePlains
Newsweek
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Nearly 'Gargantuan' Hail Hits Texas
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Massive hailstones, described as "DVD-sized" and edging close to "gargantuan" in magnitude, battered parts of Texas as severe thunderstorms ripped through the region over Memorial Day weekend. Reports confirmed hail reaching nearly 6 inches in diameter in locations including Afton and Menard, Texas, putting the area at the center of a rare and dangerous weather event. Why It Matters This outbreak of exceptionally large hail posed significant risks to residents, property, and infrastructure across Texas, a state already accustomed to severe weather. The event coincided with the busy Memorial Day weekend, disrupting holiday plans and triggering warnings across the Plains and South. File photo of hailstones on a lawn in Texas. File photo of hailstones on a lawn in Texas. Yesim Sahin/Getty What To Know On Monday, MyRadarWX senior meteorologist Matthew Cappucci posted some of the hailstone measurements on X, formerly Twitter. "When it comes to GIANT hail, there's no place like Texas! Texas got MELON-SIZED hail both yesterday AND today!" Cappucci posted. "Anything over 4.72 inches is considered 'DVD-sized.' Anything over 6 inches is a rare category called 'gargantuan.' Yes, that's the real term!" Researchers with the In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Northern Illinois University, traveled alongside storm chasers to document and measure hail. In Afton, Texas, on May 25, 2025, a hailstone measured 5.47 inches in diameter, ICECHIP said on X. These events came close but did not surpass the Texas record of 6.42 inches set in Hondo on April 28, 2021, or the U.S. record of 8 inches, set in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010. The storms that produced the massive hail also delivered damaging wind gusts of up to 81 mph in Amherst, Texas, as strong as those of a Category 1 hurricane, along with tornado sightings in multiple towns. Flooding also compounded hazards across the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) classifies hail that is one inch or larger as severe; hailstones of 4 inches or larger are often described as "softball-sized." Designations such as "grapefruit," "DVD," and "gargantuan" are used for even larger stones. Large hail forms when strong updrafts in thunderstorms lift water droplets high into freezing layers of the atmosphere, allowing ice to accumulate in concentric layers before falling to the ground, according to AccuWeather. What People Are Saying NWS meteorologist Matt Bishop, who works at the Fort Worth office, told Newsweek: "We just had a severe thunderstorm watch recently issued, and some of the hail could get as large as tennis ball size in some of these storms. That type of a hailstone if it hits a city can cause millions to even billions of dollars in damage, especially if it encounters a car sales lot with lots of new cars." AccuWeather said in a report: "Thunderstorms that fire up through Wednesday afternoon and evening, combined with the rounds of thunderstorms in previous days, will continue to raise the risk for flash flooding across the region. Other hazards, including hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes, will also accompany the flash flooding risk." A forecast from the NWS office in Fort Worth/Dallas: "Scattered strong to severe storms will develop this afternoon and evening, with the greatest chances west of I-35 and south of I-20. Large hail and damaging winds are the primary threats, with a low (non-zero) tornado threat. The main storm timing is between 3 PM and 10 PM." What Happens Next Additional severe storms may continue through Thursday night. People in the affected areas should remain vigilant and follow local weather guidance.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
IBHS Joins Nation'sLargest Hail Study in 40 Years as ICECHIP Launches with Media Field Day
When: Saturday, May 17, 2025Media-Only Access: 1:00–2:00 PM MTPublic Event: 2:00–4:00 PM MTWhere: Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) Facility - 4820 63rd St., Boulder, CO 80301 – Northeast side of building BOULDER, Colo., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Science Foundation-funded ICECHIP project—"In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains"—invites members of the media to an exclusive Media Field Day to kick off the largest hail-focused field campaign in the U.S. in more than 40 years. The ICECHIP Media Field Day will provide firsthand access to live weather demonstrations, storm-tracking tools and interviews with leading atmospheric scientists. The project brings together 15 U.S. institutions and four international partners to study hailstorms across the Central Plains and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Hail is the most consistently damaging hazard associated with severe thunderstorms, generating over $35 billion in losses in the U.S. last year alone and affecting homeowners, businesses, aviation, agriculture, transportation and more. This six-week field campaign aims to transform the understanding of hail by collecting unprecedented field data - advancing hail detection, improving forecast models and strengthening public warning systems. MEDIA FIELD DAY HIGHLIGHTS: Exclusive media access from 1:00–2:00 PM MT One-on-one questions and interviews with Scientists and team experts Live public demonstrations from 2:00–4:00 PM MT featuring: Opening remarks and project overview (2:00–2:15 PM MT) Weather balloon launch Doppler on Wheels (DOW) vehicles and mobile mesonets Hail measurement systems Radiometers and UAS (large drones) Online Media Kit: Where ICECHIP Goes: The mobile research campaign will continue through June 30th, 2025, and span hail-prone regions across the Plains gathering observations on a wide variety of hailstorms. Principal Investigators Rebecca Adams-Selin Atmospheric and Environmental Research (Lead PI)John Allen Central Michigan University Victor Gensini Northern Illinois UniversityAndrew Heymsfield National Center for Atmospheric Research Steering CommitteeBrian Argrow University of Colorado BoulderIan Giammanco Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)Karen Kosiba University of Alabama HuntsvilleMatthew Kumjian Pennsylvania State UniversityJoshua Wurman University of Alabama Huntsville For a full list of collaborators and partners, click here. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER)
