Name: Gargantuan hail becoming more common in warmer climate
Uploaded: 2026-04-02T07:36:59.281Z
Duration: 1 min 10 s
Description: Hail is becoming bigger and bigger in our warming world. So much so, that a classification called “gargantuan hail,” which is the size of pineapples, is becoming more common. Watch this video to see why we are seeing more of this enormous hail.

Hail is becoming bigger and bigger in our warming world. So much so, that a classification called “gargantuan hail,” which is the size of pineapples, is becoming more common. Watch this video to see why we are seeing more of this enormous hail.

Recent research indicates that reports of 'gargantuan hail,' defined as hailstones six inches in diameter or larger, have become more frequent over the past 20 years. This increase is attributed to both a rise in storm chaser observations and the effects of a warming climate, which leads to stronger thunderstorm updrafts capable of producing larger hailstones.

Hail already causes more than $10 billion in damages annually, and the trend toward larger hailstones could result in even greater costs in the future. The findings highlight the potential for more severe weather impacts as global temperatures continue to rise.

Gargantuan hail becoming more common in warmer climate

We're pretty used to seeing hail the size of a quarter, maybe even a baseball. But hail the size of a pineapple? Once you get to one inch in diameter, which is about the size of a quarter, we call that severe hail. If you get two inches or greater, significant hail. Four inch and greater is called giant. And then six inch and greater is actually gargantuan. Gargantuan hail is becoming more common than we might think. Researchers say they've seen more reports of it in the last 20 years than ever before. The reason? Well, for one, more storm chasers out in the plains are actually finding it. But it also has to do with a warming climate. Thunderstorms need strong updrafts to produce large hail. The stronger the updraft, the larger the hail size. If you have a hair dryer, it's pretty easy to balance a ping pong ball on top of that hair dryer. Now, if you wanna do that with a grapefruit or a cantaloupe, you're gonna need a much stronger hair dryer. So it really is some function of having stronger updrafts in this warmer climate. As hail already causes more than $10 billion in damages every year, imagine how much the cost could rise as gargantuan hail becomes more common.

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