Parts of Iowa hit by softball-sized hail

A strong thunderstorm that covered the American state of Iowa on July 9 brought large hail, in some places the size of hailstones reached the size of a softball ball, reports The Watchers.

During the approach of the storm system, the National Weather Service (NWS) announced rare warnings of hail up to 10 cm.

The city of Des Moines, located in the central part of the state, was severely affected by severe weather. Local residents shared pictures of an unprecedented large hail on social networks. Damage assessment is carried out on the ground.

The NWS has warned of possible flooding, winds and storms in the Midwest. From Missouri to the central parts of Kentucky, a large amount of precipitation is expected.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hail is rapidly growing to large ice floes, colliding with liquid water droplets that freeze on the surface of hailstones flying in an updraft. If the water freezes instantly when it collides with hail, cloudy ice forms, because air bubbles are trapped in it.

When the water freezes slowly, air bubbles burst out, and the ice remains transparent. Hail falls when the updraft of a thunderstorm can no longer withstand the weight of hailstones, when the ice floes become too large, as well as when the updraft weakens.