Hailstone Growth Trajectories in the Dynamic Evolution of a Moderate Hailstorm

Abstract

For the purpose of studying the growth environment of hailstones in a moderate storm, more than 200 hailstones, collected at several points along the storm path, were investigated by crystallographic and isotopic analysis. The majority of the embryos were frozen drops. The post-embryonic growth, generally observed in two growth layers, took place in a narrow range of altitudes. For six hailstones this range, inferred from isotopic data supported by a model accounting for entrainment, was between 5900 and 7100 m (?11 to ?19°C). The hailstone growth trajectories were in good agreement, in space and in time, with the cell dynamic evolution derived from radar data.