How does hail form???

Question

How does hail form?

Answer 1

The above answer was copied and pasted from the following source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail

I will use my own words and knowledge to answer this.

When thunderstorms form, there are updrafts and downdrafts present. These mechanisms transfer water vapor to different parts of the thunderstorm. Updrafts carry water droplets (condensed water vapor) to higher levels, where they freeze. Small pieces of hail grow larger as more water droplets are added and frozen onto them.

When the gravitational force becomes powerful enough to overcome the updraft force, the hail falls down to the Earth's surface.

Answer 2

Hail forms in storm clouds when supercooled water droplets freeze on contact with condensation nuclei, such as dust. The storm's updraft blows the hailstones to the upper part of the cloud. The updraft dissipates and the hailstones fall down, back into the updraft, and are lifted up again. The hailstone gains an ice layer and grows increasingly larger with each ascent. Once a hailstone becomes too heavy to be supported by the storm's updraft, it falls out of the cloud.

In large hailstones, latent heat released by further freezing may melt the outer shell of the hailstone. The hailstone then may undergo 'wet growth', where the liquid outer shell collects other smaller hailstones.

Answer 3

clouds  

Answer 4

Water evaporates, then it has to be cold conditions and have an updraft so it can keep the water in the air, it eventually becoomes to heavy and falls to earth.