West Texas is no stranger to severe weather. So this week, NewsWest 9's Aurora Murray, Dan Grigsby and Jordan Frazier are going to take you through all the different types of severe weather the Permian Basin faces and how to stay safe.
For Monday, April 1, we are talking about the costliest weather phenomena in the country, hail.
Let's start off with how hail forms. First off, frozen water droplets are swept up by updrafts. Updrafts are the rising winds that give thunderstorms their strengths. Additional layers of ice form each time it's swept up, as it goes in and out of the freezing level before it falls to the ground.
Depending on how strong those updraft speeds are will determine how large the hail that falls from these storms will be. This makes sense considering the stronger the winds, the more weight it can hold inside in the storm cloud before it falls to the ground.
Believe it or not, a thunderstorm that has hail may not actually be severe. As you can see from the size map below, the diameter of hail must be at least and inch before it gains severe status. That is when you will start to notice more significant damage to people and property.
A few steps to stay safe from hail can be easy to follow. During a thunderstorm, stay indoors and away from windows. With the strong Texas winds, some hail can come through the windows. If you are in a vehicle, pull off to the side of the road. Do not continue driving as this can cause more damage to the car and the windshield.
The last safety tip for severe weather is to stay tuned to NewsWest 9 and the NewsWest 9 weather team will track the storms for you as they move through the region.
