Hailstone Shape Factor and Its Relation to Radar Interpretation of Hail

Abstract

The shape factor of hailstones, defined as the ratio of their long and short axes (m?/m), has been measured for hailstones from three geographical areas: northeastern Colorado, central Oklahoma and central Alberta. The results show a general tendency toward decreasing sphericity with increasing size and are different for different areas. The results are relevant to remote hail sensing by radar techniques utilizing polarization.