Thunder storms come off the Rockies and hail is formed along the way so that by the time it gets to a rough line between Calgary and Red Deer , hail has formed in the cloud.
Hail damage is so severe in this area that hail suppression projects have been developed. Airplanes fly into the tops of the storms before the get too big and spread silver iodide into the tops of the clouds at a rate of 10 grams per minute and dangerous hail doesn't form quite so often. Hail insurance companies pay for this project as it prevents some of the huge losses that insurance companies have to pay because of hail damage.
This afternoon when I was out I saw a number of thunderstorms form. I also heard the airplanes flying from the top of one cloud to the top of the other. The planes and pilots are suited for flying on top of thunderstorms. You hear airplanes but don't see them except for today as I saw them.
So this afternoon I watched thunderstorms form. It was difficult to photograph and it was very bright. I did get some cloud photos.
Now I did get a couple of aircraft photos. This is the first time I've ever seen the planes.
So no cropping on these photos. These shots were taken blind . I just pointed and hoped I'd get something.
Well you've taught me something new. I did not know there was something that could be done to reduce hail. I have seen the kind of damage hail can do and I'm sure the cost of this program is worth it. You got some great photos Red!
ReplyDeleteThis project is somewhat controversial but the insurance companies think it saves them money. I think it definitely reduces hailstorms.
DeleteThere is a lot going on in the sky nowadays.
ReplyDeleteCompared to 1950 a tremendous amount has changed.
DeleteHello, love your sky images. The hail can do a lot of damage. I can imagine a rocky ride in a plane during one of these storms. Have a happy day and a great new week!
ReplyDeleteI think the plane ride would rather bouncy.
Delete...hailstorm alley, what an address.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of a local term.
DeleteI never heard of Hailstorm Alley before or this mitigation effort. Thanks for the information, Red. Good set of cloud photos, too!
ReplyDeleteCheck out weather modification . It's interesting stuff.
DeleteI didn't know that there was a way to reduce the amount of hail there. Very interesting. Love your sky photos.
ReplyDeleteThis project is somewhat controversial.
DeleteThe odd occasion we get hail, it tends to be pebble sized.
ReplyDeleteWe get the whole gamut of hailstone sizes.
DeleteAmazing what mankind can do, in a good way. I wouldn't want to be outside without shelter in one of those hailstorms. When we get hail it's more like icy snow - rarely have we had anything bigger than a fat raindrop. Interesting post, Red.
ReplyDeleteWe cn get very big tennis sized hailstones, They can do damage.
DeleteWe humans have got to be smarter.
ReplyDeleteIt'll never happen!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of the seeding of thunderstorms to prevent hailstorms before and certainly never heard of insurance companies paying for such preventative measures. It reminds me that our fire brigades were originally an initiative by fire insurance companies to keep their costs down.
ReplyDeleteHi Red, This is interesting. Pic #3 sure gives us a good idea of those dark clouds rolling in. That is cool that you were able to capture a couple of shots of the planes working the clouds. This is the first time I've heard of planes putting silver iodide into clouds to prevent hail. I do recall hearing about planes seeding clouds to get rain ... that was down in the panhandle of Texas. It sure makes sense for the insurance companies to pay for this. When do you normally see the end of the hailstorm season? I'm going to guess around the first of September. By the way, Seattle is on track for the most rain in July since records have been kept.
ReplyDeleteOccasionally we get hail but it doesn't last long. It can do lots of damage but I guess we are just lucky. Love the sky photos.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post and then your comment about the size of the hailstones, Red, I sure hope that your car is parked in a garage. Also, Grenville/Pat thanks you for the birthday wishes yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI love to watch clouds, fascinating:)
ReplyDeleteI’ve never heard of planes being able to stop hail from forming! Thanks for the interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI never knew there was a hailstorm alley. Interesting. Weather is so weird. I wonder how effective all that spraying is -- like, how often it reduces the frequency of hailstorms or the size of hailstones, and by how much?
ReplyDelete