John Wheeler: Hail is a summer thunderstorm oddity

John Wheeler: Hail is a summer thunderstorm oddity

FARGO — Large hail is a relatively rare phenomenon associated with thunderstorms. It is rare because it only occurs underneath the rather small updraft region of a severe thunderstorm that has a freezing layer usually lower than around 11,000 feet. The area just east of the Rocky Mountains gets large hail more frequently than anywhere else in North America for two main reasons. This area is at relatively high altitude, so the ground is closer to…