What is the biggest recorded size of hail that’s ever fallen in Alberta?

BY LOREENA NIEUWENHOUT

"What is the biggest recorded size of hail that’s ever fallen in Alberta?"

There’s nothing like a summer thunderstorm in Alberta. Sometimes bits of hail come falling down from the clouds along with the rain. So-called hailstones are balls of ice that have frozen up in the atmosphere before getting too heavy and falling down to the ground. Hail forms when raindrops in a storm cloud become supercooled and freeze when wind currents push them up into colder parts of the atmosphere. As these frozen raindrops fall back down, they grow by hitting more liquid rain that freezes to them when they touch. This can happen over and over again in the storm cloud before the hailstone falls to the ground. The biggest hailstone that has ever been recorded in Alberta (and also Canada) was found in 2022 by scientists who followed a storm near Markerville, Alberta. It measured 12.3 centimetres across and weighed nearly 293 grams! That’s about the same size as a full roll of toilet paper, and about the same weight as three yogurt cups or 1¼ cups of water. Look out below! That’s why it’s always a good idea to find covered shelter during a hailstorm.