Hail of a Storm

This year, helmets weren't used for sudden crashes during the Tour of Switzerland. Instead they were for the protecting riders from thousands of hailstones that fell from the sky during the sixth leg of the race.

Severe storms pelted the cyclists with hail, heavy rain and even lightning. Check out rider Filippo Pozzato's (photo right) marks from nature's beating. Ouch! Click here for more photos from the stormy stretch.

Most of the hail during the race was slightly larger than dime size. But as you know, it can come in all shapes and sizes. What's the biggest hailstone ever documented? Well, it is the Coffeyville, Kansas hailstone that fell in 1970.
The hail stone was 1.67 pounds and over 5.5 inches in diameter. The photo (Left) shows the onion-like circles. These layers show how many times the hailstone was pushed back into the storm by an updraft for another coating of ice. While it's difficult to see on smaller stones, you can count the rings to get an indication of the hailstone's history.

DEEPEST HAIL EVENT:
A severe hailstorm on June 3, 1959, at Selden, in northwestern Kansas, left an area measuring 9 by 6 miles (14.4 by 10 km) covered with hailstones to a depth of 18 inches (about 46 cm). The hail fell for 85 minutes and did $500,000 worth of damage, mainly to crops.

HAIL DEATHS:
Hail deaths are rare in the United States. The last known U.S. hail fatality was an infant killed in Fort Collins, Colo., in August 1979.

Learn more about hail formation here.

--Brent