(NewsNation) — Researchers are beginning to learn more about a type of severe weather known little about: hailstorms.
Northern Illinois University scientists are taking on the challenge of improving forecasts and mitigating hail damage by participating in the largest hail study in history.
They returned from a six-week field expedition, collaborating with 17 other institutions on a massive new study about hail. Meteorologist Max Tsaparis spoke with the head of the project, Dr. Victor Gensini, getting an exclusive look at specialized “hail-hunting” vehicles.
There’s never been a research project like this one — scientists driving headfirst into the worst storms imaginable to learn as much as possible about the least studied type of severe weather.
“How does the hail form in a storm, what is its impact at the surface and how can we build a better, resilient society?” Gensini explained the guiding questions of the initiative.
Hail causes $10 billion in damage nationwide every year, so when Gensini was awarded an $11 million grant from the National Science Foundation, he knew that would put a dent into his quest.
He’s the professor in charge of over 100 researchers driving 30 vehicles and covering 15,000 miles of the Great Plains. They set up equipment to surround the storm, getting a 3D look within the clouds to see how hailstones develop. This helps improve computer model forecasts.
The scientists are also working with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety to test different types of roof shingles to see which ones work best against the worst Mother Nature has to offer.
It’s a race against the clock, as there’s only a matter of minutes to collect the hail samples before they melt away.
“You’d go out, you’d gather the hail, we’d measure the hailstone. We put the hailstone into the bag, and then it would go into the cooler,” Gensini said.
The largest the field team found was more than 5 inches across — the size of a cantaloupe — which could be deadly if caught in a storm.
“There is a lot of pressure to make sure that you’re not only keeping everybody safe as priority No. 1, but No. 2 that you’re actually executing the mission and getting the best possible data, and that’s not easy,” Gensini said.
Analyzing the data collected could take up to a decade to complete.