(from CoCoRaHS.org)

Thanks so much for your CoCoRaHS hail reports. You may not realize it, but there are very few sources for accurate data about hail. Most weather stations don’t even measure or report hail. Scientists have great difficulty finding good data to help analyze hail storm patterns, frequencies, probabilities, etc. Therefore, our CoCoRaHS hail reports are especially important.

If you experience hail at your location (even the small stuff) please use the CoCoRaHS hail report form to submit a report. Even if you don’t have much information about the hail or weren’t home to know exactly when it happened, still send in a report: Hail Report

Hail pads help us document the size and number of stones. If hail pads are not provided in your area, you can make your own: Making Hail Pads– http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=MakingHailPads More on this subject tomorrow!

Please report hail even if you don’t have a CoCoRaHS hail pad: Measure Hail– http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=MeasureHail

“Days with Hail” reports are viewable to the public and include a list of all days during a calendar year with one or more hail reports entered into the CoCoRaHS database. This is a great way to see where hail fell across the country on any given day as well as the size of the hailstones. Those reports with a camera icon next to them indicate that a photo of a hail pad associated with that specific report is available for viewing on-line.

To access the “Days with Hail” report click “View Data” on the CoCoRaHS homepage’s top menu bar. Under “Summary Reports” click “Days with Hail Reports”. That’s all there is to it.

You can also see a map of hail reports for any given day by clicking here: Hail Maps

Thanks again for your reports and be on the lookout for hail in your neighborhood.