13 - RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 2017 LAMAR COUNTY MITIGATION PLAN

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Lamar County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Chapter Three HAZARD PROFILE: SECTION TWO - HAILSTORM 1. DESCRIPTION Due to Texas' rapidly changing climate, large scale hailstorms are especially prevalent. Hail is formed by actions of wind and rain at freezing temperatures which cause water particles to become frozen and condense into particles ranging from very small to grapefruit size. Hailstones may be spherical, conical or irregular in shape. The size and shape of hailstones is determined by the strength of wind within the storm cell. Each lifting, falling, recoating cycle produces a larger hailstone until finally the weight of the stone causes it to fall to earth. Hail is associated with severe thunderstorms. Powerful updrafts produce cumulonimbus clouds that tower tens of thousands of feet above the ground. Air temperature in the upper levels of these clouds may be 50 degrees F or below. Hailstones grow as ice pellets, are lifted by updrafts, and collect super cooled water droplets. As they grow, hailstones become heavier and begin to fall. Sometimes, they are caught by successively stronger updrafts and are circulated through the cloud again and again; growing larger each time the cycle is repeated. Eventually, the updrafts can no longer support the weight of the hailstones. As hailstones fall to the ground they produce a hail streak that may be more than a mile wide and a few miles long. Hail - a form of A single thunderstorm can produce several hail streaks. ; t t h h a Note that although hail is associated with thunderstorms, this plan profiles hail equal to or larger than 1.5" inches in diameter as a separate natural a hazard event. Based on previous occurrences, when hail gets this large it can be damaging to cars, roofs, windows, and even people. 64 pre't' a ►on w is consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice. - The Glossary of Meterology. Hailstone - is an individual unit of hail.