"Gargantua": Argentine grad 2018 admitted the largest and was named the new term

Two years ago in Argentina, hail with a diameter greater than 20 cm, This phenomenon has prompted meteorologists to introduce a completely new term to describe precipitation of this type, which can be translated as "huge hail" (eng. gargantuan hail).

In the new study describes superheavy storm that struck a densely populated Argentinian city of Villa Carlos Paz in córdoba province February 8, 2018. During this storm fell to the ground unusually large hailstones: the biggest has risen to 23.7 cm in diameter.

Thanks to numerous reports and photos of the castle, placed in social networks, the study authors Matthew Kumjian and Rachel Gutierrez of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, was able to examine in detail this extreme weather phenomenon.

In a study based on photographic data documented three sizes of hailstones: 11,38 cm, 18.8 cm and 23.7 cm

Currently, the NWS uses three terms to describe the size of hail. Also, some scientists use the informal term "giant" (eng. giant) for a description of hailstones of more than 10 cm. Kumjian and Gutierrez propose to introduce another term — "huge castle" — to refer to the hailstones than 15 cm

"We believe that the introduction of a new term may be useful for the accuracy of the messages. And we hope that this will help to stimulate additional research," said the authors.

The study also described the unique meteorological conditions observed during the Argentine storm. These data are important for forecasting large hail can cause significant damage to crops, properties and represents a mortal danger to people on the street.

Superheavy thunderstorms that produce large hail are characterized by strong and persistent rotating updrafts. These vertical winds are nascent hailstones through the cold air, contributing to their growth. But scientists still do not fully understand what affects the size of the hailstones. From Gutierrez, who wrote his master's thesis on the topic, there are some ideas.

"Rachel studies suggest that superheavy thunderstorms producing huge hail, have a strong rotation in their ascending flows than those that produce smaller hail. We are trying to understand the physics behind this correlation," explained Koumjian.

The use of social networks and even unmanned technology can help researchers. "We urge to take pictures of hailstones with the reference objects or lines and weigh them on kitchen scales. The more data we have, the more we can learn about the processes that are causing this city."

A study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»