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Oh hail! How does it form and get so big?

Posted at 12:48 PM, Apr 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-29 13:51:46-04

It has a deafening sound whether it's pound on a car, your roof or your patio.

Hail. Big hail.

But how does it get so big?

2 Works for You Storm Shield Chief Meteorologist Brett Anthony said we can point to updrafts for the reason.

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Strong updrafts in thunderstorms force the hail stone up into cold air where it freezes and grows. When the hail stone falls, tiny water droplets suspended in the cloud stick to the icy stone.

The updraft throws it back up again.

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This keeps happening until the hail is so heavy it finally falls to the earth.

Updrafts created the hail stones in Texas earlier in April that were baseball, even softball-sized.

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