What is a Hailstorm? + more videos | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

Summary

This video explores the fascinating processes behind hail formation, snowflake creation, and why snow appears white. Hail forms in thunderstorms when updrafts lift water droplets into freezing temperatures, turning them into hailstones. Snowflakes are created when water droplets freeze onto dust particles, forming symmetrical, unique crystals. Snow appears white because it reflects all colors of light. Additionally, it explains how people can predict rain by detecting ozone from lightning or smelling aromatic particles released by rain hitting surfaces, offering a fun, educational take on weather phenomena.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hail forms when thunderstorm clouds, freezing temperatures, high vertical height, water content, and strong updrafts are present.
• 😀 Hailstones grow larger as they are lifted higher by updrafts, with more water droplets freezing onto them.
• 😀 Eventually, hailstones become too heavy for the updrafts to hold and fall, causing hail.
• 😀 Snowflakes form when supercooled water droplets freeze onto dust particles or pollen, creating a tiny ice crystal.
• 😀 Snowflakes grow symmetrically as water freezes onto their corners, creating branches that give them their unique shape.
• 😀 Every snowflake follows a different path to the ground, making each one unique.
• 😀 Snow appears white because it reflects all colors of light equally, unlike objects that absorb some colors.
• 😀 When sunlight strikes snow, none of the colors are absorbed, and all are reflected, resulting in a white appearance.
• 😀 People can predict rain by smelling ozone, which is created when lightning splits nitrogen and oxygen molecules.
• 😀 Aromatic particles released by rain hitting soil or leaves can be smelled, helping people predict rain when gusts of wind carry them ahead of the rainfall.

Q & A

What is hail?

Hail is a type of rain in which balls of ice called hailstones fall from the sky. It forms when certain conditions are met, including thunderstorms, freezing temperatures, strong updrafts, and high water content in clouds.

What conditions are necessary for hail formation?

The conditions required for hail formation include a thunderstorm cloud, freezing temperatures in the upper cloud portion, great vertical cloud height, high water content in the cloud, and strong updrafts.

How do hailstones form?

Hailstones form when updrafts lift water droplets from the bottom of a thunderstorm cloud, causing them to freeze into tiny hailstones. These hailstones grow larger as more droplets freeze onto them, and they eventually fall when they become too heavy for the updrafts to hold.

What is the process behind snowflake formation?

Snowflakes form when a supercooled water droplet in the sky freezes onto a dust particle or pollen. The water molecules arrange in a hexagonal pattern, causing the crystal to grow symmetrical branches as it falls through the atmosphere.

Why are no two snowflakes the same?

No two snowflakes are exactly the same because each snowflake follows a different path to the ground, encountering varying atmospheric conditions. This makes each snowflake unique in its shape and structure.

Why is snow white?

Snow is white because it reflects all colors of visible light equally. Unlike other objects that absorb certain colors, snow reflects the full spectrum of visible light, which makes it appear white.

How does the reflection of light work in relation to color?

When light strikes an object, the object may absorb certain colors and reflect others. The color an object appears to us is the color it reflects. For example, an apple reflects red light, making it appear red.

What role does ozone play in predicting rain?

Ozone is a sharp-smelling gas produced when lightning splits nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Strong winds carry ozone down, and if a person smells it, they can predict rain, as it often occurs before heavy rainfall.

How can people predict rain by smelling the air?

People can predict rain by detecting aromatic particles in the air. When raindrops hit surfaces like soil and leaves, tiny bubbles containing these particles are released. Winds carry them ahead of the rain, allowing people to smell them and anticipate rain.

What causes the formation of hailstones in a thunderstorm?

Hailstones form in a thunderstorm when updrafts push water droplets into freezing temperatures in the cloud. These droplets freeze into hailstones, which grow larger as more droplets freeze onto them. Once they become too heavy, they fall to the ground as hail.