Is the ongoing
hailstorm because of the El Nino effect or Global Warming ?
According to experts, the hailstorm which has
created havoc in central India can be possibly connected to El Nino, which
might have brought the freezing level down because of which the country is
witnessing such an unusual phenomena.
J R Kulkarni, a senior scientist with Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), who is also a program manager of
Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEX) has
said that it can be a combined effect of El Nino and global warming, but a deeper
study will be required, to know actual cause.
It will not be a continuous process, and it will
get over in next few days. But it looks partly El Nino effect. It is not just
the hailstorm, but we are also witnessing excessive snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir
as well as in parts of America.
How are Hailstones
formed ?
- The solar
energy lifts up the surface moisture to the higher level which develops
hailstone.
- The moisture is lifted in the atmosphere and as it goes up to one kilometer vertical, it gets condensed and clouds are formed.
- If it is lifted upward further up to four kilometers, the temperature goes to zero degree Celsius but the water does not freeze in the atmosphere and it is called as super cool water. the super cool water starts accumulating on the small particles and it forms ice.
- If the iced particles goes further upwards, up to nearly six kilometers in the atmosphere, the particles takes shape of hailstone.
- Till this time, the
particles and the moisture has upward movement but after it takes the form
of a hailstone, it starts coming down to the surface due to the weight of
the hailstone and we experience hailstorm.
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Present Phenomenon !
- The winds
in the mid latitude of 60 to 90 blow from west to east and they are cold.
As the cold air accumulates, it creates a force and it comes down to the
lower latitude.
- At present
we are witnessing that the freezing level of the atmosphere has come down,
due to which the hailstone is being formed at low level and we are
witnessing hailstorm in wider area of the country !
