While we are enjoying beautiful weather across most of the Southeast this week, it’s always good to be aware of severe weather.  The National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) has some great resources on severe weather at their website https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/, including one on hail.

For agriculture, hail does not even need to be large to cause big economic losses–small hail that blemishes fruit, for example, can cause the quality to decrease markedly, reducing its value because of the cosmetic losses.  But large hail can cause damage to property, animals, and humans, so if hail is forecast or observed, watch out!

Hail damage to tomatoes. Source: Dwight Sipler, Commons Wikimedia
Hail damage to tomatoes. Source: Dwight Sipler, Commons Wikimedia
Source: I.Sáček, Commons Wikimedia
Source: I.Sáček, Commons Wikimedia