Giant, Destructive Hail Is Becoming More Common with Climate Change, Study Says
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A new study published in the journal Nature finds that giant hailstones will become more common as the climate warms from human-caused carbon emissions. The researchers found that the frequency of hail larger than a marble will increase by 2100, with a 47 percent increase in a worst-case scenario and a 38 percent increase in a more optimistic model. This increase in giant hailstones is expected to cause more damage, as hailstorms already cause about $10 billion in damage each year in the United States.
- ▪The frequency of hail larger than a marble is expected to increase 47 percent by 2100 in a worst-case scenario.
- ▪Hailstorms already cause about $10 billion in damage each year in the United States.
- ▪The potential for hail will increase at higher latitudes, like in Europe or the United States, and might actually decrease near the equator and in the tropics.
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| Original publisher | Smithsonian Magazine |
| Canonical URL | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-destructive-hail-is-becoming-more-common-with-climate-change-study-says-180988849/ |
| Publication time | Thu, 28 May 2026 19:02:02 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-28T19:23:01.382Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Giant, Destructive Hail Is Becoming More Common with Climate Change, Study Says As the atmosphere warms, the potential for hail as large as a grapefruit is growing Rudy Molinek | Reporter May 28, 2026 3:02 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source A large hailstone made up of an aggregate of smaller ice particles Public domain via Wikimedia Commons This spring, massive thunderstorms swept across the upper Midwest. Along with destructive winds and tornados, these storms brought record-sized hail. In Illinois, one meteorologist, Victor Gensini, found a 16-inch diameter hailstone that weighed over a pound.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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