Hailstone Sizes
Assorted Hailstones (Credit: NOAA Photo Library)
US National Weather Service Hailstone Size Categories
HAIL DIAMETER SIZE (Inches) DESCRIPTION
1/4" Pea Size
1/2" Mothball or Marble Size
3/4" (Severe Criteria) Penny or Dime Size
7/8" Nickel Size
1" Quarter Size
1 1/4" Half Dollar Size
1 1/2" Walnut or Ping Pong Ball Size
1 3/4" Golf Ball Size
2" Hen Egg Size
2 1/2" Tennis Ball Size
2 3/4" Baseball Size
3" Teacup Size
4" Grapefruit Size
4 1/2" Softball Size
Scientist Nancy Knight holds Coffeyville, KS hailstone, diameter 14.4 cm (5.67 inches). Credit: NOAA Photo Library
Aggregate grapefruit-sizehailstone, diameter approx. 15 cm (6 inches). Credit: NOAA Photo Library
Large hailstone approx. 10 cm (4 inches) softball size. Credit: NOAA Photo Library
British Meteorological Office Hailstone Size Categories
HAIL DIAMETER SIZE (mm) DESCRIPTION
5 - 10 mm Pea.
11 - 15 mm Mothball, bean, hazelnut.
16 - 20 mm Marble, cherry, small grape.
21 - 30 mm Large marble, large grape, walnut.
31 - 45 mm Chestnut, pigeon's egg, golf-ball, table-tennis ball, squash ball.
46 - 60 mm Hen's egg, small peach, small apple, billiard ball.
61 - 80 mm Large peach, large apple, goose egg, small/medium orange, tennis ball, cricket ball, baseball.
81 - 100 mm Large orange, grapefruit, softball.
101 - 125 mm Melon.
over 125 mm Coconut, etc.
Learn More From These Relevant Books Chosen by The Weather Doctor
Burt, Christopher C.: Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record Book , 2004 (pb), W. W. Norton & Company, ISBN 039333015X.
Bluestein, Howard B.: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of The Great Plains , 1999, Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 019-510552-4.
Williams, Jack: The Weather Book , 1997, Vintage Books, ISBN 0-679-77665-6.
Hailstone Sizes ©2002, Keith C. Heidorn, PhD . All Rights Reserved.
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