A unique network of monitoring stations is being installed across some of the country's most hail-prone locations this storm season, to better understand extreme weather events.

Queensland

Researchers from the University of Queensland have deployed ten weather monitoring stations across southeast Queensland to study the size and intensity of hail when it reaches the ground. This initiative aims to enhance short-term weather forecasts and inform the development of more hail-resistant products, such as roofing materials and solar panels.

The project combines data from these stations with hailstone samples donated by the public. Residents are encouraged to collect and freeze large hailstones, which scientists will later retrieve for analysis, especially as more storms are expected in the region.

Queensland researchers deploy new stations to study hailstorm impacts

Queensland is a state of extremes, and although it rarely snows, occasionally the ground is covered in a blanket of ice during storms. What an absolute show. I need to shovel that off. Hail causes billions of dollars in damages every year, and the University of Queensland wants to know more about the impacts. Radars are very good at measuring what the hail is up in the sky, but what we're trying to understand here is what is the size and what is the intensity of hail when it hits the ground. Ten of these weather monitoring stations have been deployed across southeast Queensland on farms and in the city, tracking the severity of wind and hail. It's hoped to help improve future short-term forecasts for the Bureau of Meteorology. What this allows us to do is better design products to be more hail resistant, and this is important for things like roofing material and solar panels. Findings from the new monitoring stations will be combined with data collected through donations from the public hail library. If you want to contribute, you may not have to wait long. More storms are expected in some parts this weekend. If you see large hailstones, so seven to ten centimetres or greater, you can go out, you can collect them, try and bag them very quickly. Individual bags, put them in your freezer, and then we'll get some scientists to come around and collect it from you. Tiani Reid, Ten News.

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Breakdown