Editing Thunderstorm (section)

===Hail===
{{Main|Hail}}
[[File:Bogota hailstorm.jpg|thumb|Hailstorm in [[Bogotá]], Colombia]]

Any thunderstorm that produces hail that reaches the ground is known as a hailstorm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?p=1&query=Hailstorm|title=Hailstorm|author=Glossary of Meteorology|date=2009|access-date=29 August 2009|publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606103908/http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?p=1&query=Hailstorm|archive-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> Thunderclouds that are capable of producing hailstones are often seen obtaining green coloration. Hail is more common along mountain ranges because mountains force horizontal winds upwards (known as [[orographic lift]]ing), thereby intensifying the updrafts within thunderstorms and making hail more likely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/hazards/severeweather/where.jsp|title=Where does severe weather occur?|author=Geoscience Australia|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=28 August 2009|date=4 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621231613/http://www.ga.gov.au/hazards/severeweather/where.jsp |archive-date=21 June 2009}}</ref> One of the more common regions for large hail is across mountainous northern India, which reported one of the highest hail-related death tolls on record in 1888.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mwbAsxpRr0C&pg=PA401|title=Encyclopedia of World Climatology|author=John E. Oliver|page=401|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4020-3264-6|date=2005|access-date=28 August 2009}}</ref> China also experiences significant hailstorms.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The characteristics of cloud-to-ground lightning activity in hailstorms over northern China |author=Dongxia Liu |author2=Guili Feng |author3=Shujun Wu |name-list-style=amp|date=February 2009|journal=Atmospheric Research|volume=91|issue=2–4|pages=459–465|doi=10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.06.016|bibcode = 2009AtmRe..91..459L }}</ref> Across Europe, [[Croatia]] experiences frequent occurrences of hail.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Hail characteristics of different regions in continental part of Croatia based on influence of orography|author=Damir Počakal|author2=Željko Večenaj|author3=Janez Štalec|name-list-style=amp|journal=Atmospheric Research|volume=93|issue=1–3|date=2009|doi=10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.10.017|page=516|bibcode = 2009AtmRe..93..516P }}</ref>

In North America, hail is most common in the area where [[Colorado]], [[Nebraska]], and [[Wyoming]] meet, known as "Hail Alley".<ref name="ncarhail">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucar.edu/communications/factsheets/Hail.html|title=Fact Sheet on Hail|access-date=18 July 2009|author=Rene Munoz|date=2 June 2000|publisher=University Corporation for Atmospheric Research|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015141754/http://www.ucar.edu/communications/factsheets/Hail.html|archive-date=15 October 2009}}</ref> Hail in this region occurs between the months of March and October during the afternoon and evening hours, with the bulk of the occurrences from May through September. [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], is North America's most hail-prone city with an average of nine to ten hailstorms per season.<ref name="Nolanhail"/> In South America, areas prone to hail are cities like Bogotá, Colombia.

Hail can cause serious damage, notably to [[automobile]]s, aircraft, skylights, glass-roofed structures, livestock, and most commonly, farmers' [[crops]].<ref name="Nolanhail">{{cite journal|url=http://www.cocorahs.org/media/docs/hail_1994.pdf|title=Hail, Hail, Hail ! The Summertime Hazard of Eastern Colorado|author=Nolan J. Doesken|journal=Colorado Climate|volume=17|issue=7|date=April 1994|access-date=18 July 2009|archive-date=25 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125163951/http://cocorahs.org/media/docs/hail_1994.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hail is one of the most significant thunderstorm hazards to aircraft. When hail stones exceed {{convert|13|mm|in|1}} in diameter, planes can be seriously damaged within seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationweather.ws/063_Hazards.php|title=Hazards|author=Federal Aviation Administration|author-link=Federal Aviation Administration|date=2009|access-date=29 August 2009}}</ref> The hailstones accumulating on the ground can also be hazardous to landing aircraft. Wheat, corn, soybeans, and tobacco are the most sensitive crops to hail damage.<ref name="Oliver"/> Hail is one of Canada's most costly hazards.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s6oxEraqWWwC&pg=RA1-PA61|title=Introduction to international disaster management|author=Damon P. Coppola|page=62|date=2007|isbn=978-0-7506-7982-4|publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann}}</ref> Hailstorms have been the cause of costly and deadly events throughout history. One of the earliest recorded incidents occurred around the 9th century in [[Roopkund]], Uttarakhand, India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/07/wind07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/07/ixworld.html |title=Giant hail killed more than 200 in Himalayas |author=David Orr |date=7 November 2004 |access-date=28 August 2009 |publisher=Telegraph Group Unlimited via the Internet Wayback Machine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203015218/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F11%2F07%2Fwind07.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F11%2F07%2Fixworld.html |archive-date=3 December 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The largest hailstone in terms of maximum circumference and length ever recorded in the United States fell in 2003 in [[Aurora, Nebraska]], United States.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Knight C. A., Knight N.C. | year = 2005 | title = Very Large Hailstones From Aurora, Nebraska | journal = Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. | volume = 86 | issue = 12| pages = 1773–1781 | doi = 10.1175/bams-86-12-1773 | bibcode = 2005BAMS...86.1773K | doi-access = free }}</ref>