Known as the “Gargantuan Hills,” it is a possible record-breaking relic of hailstorms created by violent storms that shook Argentina in 2018. Researchers in the state of Pennsylvania is currently studying the hailstorm that began on February 6, 2018, in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina. As reported in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, a particularly cold hailstorm is thought to have measured between 17.7 and 2.6.6 centimeters (7.4-9.3 inches) across.
A hailstorm is a piece of ice that collects water together in the upper region of a cloud of raindrops. As the thunderbolt rises in the draft, the hailstones become larger, catching more water and creating new layers of ice on each trip. Finally, when the updated draft of lightning can no longer support the weight of the rock, it falls to earth.
For the new study, researchers combined the story of Argentina’s giant hailstorm using witness testimonials, photographers, site visits, weather information, and storm monitoring radar signatures. They seem to have some connection to the size of the large hailstorm in the rotation speed of the storm update (basically how fast it is moving), although the link is not well understood. In light of their research, the researchers suggested that boulders larger than 15 centimeters (inches) should be classified as “gargantuan.“
Matthew Kumjian, lead study author and associate professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmosphere Science at Penn State, told IFLScience, “The storm was a class of Supercell, strong, long-lived storms, characterized by a steady, rotating, and updated draft.” He added, “Supercells have very strong, wide updrafts that are important for increasing large hailstorms. Stormwind patterns allow raindrops to travel long distances across updates, maximizing their time in areas favorable for hair growth. “
Regardless of the details, one thing is for sure: Gargantuan hail can cause some serious damage. The study provides details about the relays from exclusive eyewitnesses of various damaged agencies in Argentina, dented cars, and buttered roofs across the city. The researchers also recalled how building hailstones were recorded falling on the roof and multiple floors of a building.
Kumjian added, “As far as we know, there are no serious injuries, thank you.” The largest recorded hailstorm from Argentina’s Supercell storm was the current official record holder, 23.3 cm (6 inches) wide, which fell near Vivian in South Dakota on June 23, 2010. Unfortunately, researchers have won, so the body remains long melted so I can’t get hail in the Guinness Book of Records.
Kumjian concluded, “There is no physical sample to officially measure, so the estimate remains only as an estimate. I don’t think it would be advisable to change the values used to keep records. Alas! But it is for the best to keep the conventions consistent for our records.”
