What makes hail spiky?
Hail is a major part of severe weather season here in North Texas, and not all hailstones are alike.
Some FOX 4 viewers asked why some hailstones they have found near their homes are spiky instead of smooth. It all has to do with how hail forms.
Hail forms when an updraft from a thunderstorm lifts a droplet of water to levels in the atmosphere where the temperature is below freezing. That droplet then freezes making a hailstone.
As the hailstone rises in the updraft of the storm more water droplets stick to it and freeze. Then more droplets freeze to those frozen droplets.
If the outer coating of the hailstone isn't completely frozen, they can collide with other hailstones and droplets in a process called "wet growth".
It happens when the air temperature is below freezing, but not SUPER cold.
Dallas Weather: Severe storms bring hail to parts of North Texas
Late-night storms brought heavy rain, wind, lightning, and lots of hail to parts of North Texas.
Hailstones that go through wet growth often have a spiked or bumpy appearance.