Hail Sizes Compared to Every Day Objects
By Gannon Medwick
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
National Weather Service storm spotters are trained to safely spot, measure, and report hail in thunderstorm situations. Believe it or not, an official conversion guide exists between the exact size of hail (specifically, its diameter in inches) and common, everyday objects. Some of these I’ve found to be quite interesting:
0.25” = “pea sized hail”
0.50” = “marble sized hail” or “moth ball sized hail”
0.75” = “penny sized hail”
0.88” = “nickel sized hail”
1.00” = “quarter sized hail”
1.25” = “half-dollar sized hail”
1.50” = “walnut sized hail” or “ping-pong ball sized hail”
1.75” = “golf ball sized hail”
2.00” = “hen egg sized hail”
2.50” = “tennis ball sized hail”
2.75” = “baseball sized hail”
3.00” = “tea cup sized hail”
4.00” = “grapefruit sized hail”
4.50” = “softball sized hail” (I actually prefer “I pray you are underground if this is falling sized hail”)
Click to learn more about why springtime is prime time for hail in the Carolinas. And of course, stay with Storm Team 9 for the latest official weather bulletins in any thunderstorm situation. In the meantime, thanks for checking out my blog! See you soon…
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