nickg5
asked on
how fast is baseball sized hail going, when it hits the ground?
We had a storm last night and some areas had baseball sized hail.
How fast was it going when it hit the ground, or a car windshield?
Thanks.
How fast was it going when it hit the ground, or a car windshield?
Thanks.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
I used a 3 inch diameter baseball. Apparently, they are more like 2.75 inches, so they should be going more like 44.2 mph.
ASKER
well, I read that a car wreck head-on at 35 mph is enough to cause death.
So can it be assumed that these 44-44 mile per hour, hail would break a car windshield and put dents in car hoods?
So can it be assumed that these 44-44 mile per hour, hail would break a car windshield and put dents in car hoods?
Certainly could. Hail is hard. If a baseball hit over a fence can shatter a windsheild, then ice certainly could (it's denser). Now, if a hailstone isn't a sphere, it will usually fall more slowly. Also, hail often has a shape that makes the density smaller which would slow it down as would updrafts. So it can go much slower.
By the way, the Wikipedia article on hail terminal velocity has an obvious mathematical fallacy, I'm addressing it now.
By the way, the Wikipedia article on hail terminal velocity has an obvious mathematical fallacy, I'm addressing it now.
ASKER
in my area we had small hail, and the wind blew the ice against the house windows (maybe marble size or smaller).
ASKER
thanks.