Which type of precipitation forms during thunderstorms from repeatedly updrafts that cause ice to accumulate into larger pellets until they fall?

• A. Rain
• B. Snow
• C. Sleet
• D. Hail

Answer: (D)

Hail forms when strong updrafts inside a thunderstorm lift raindrops into cold parts of the cloud, where they begin to freeze. As the updraft keeps cycling the pellet through supercooled water and freezing layers, ice builds up around a core, creating larger and layered hailstones. When the updrafts can no longer support the weight, the hailstone falls to the ground. This distinguishes hail from rain, which falls as liquid water; snow, which forms ice crystals in cold air without repeated layering; and sleet, which are ice pellets formed when rain freezes before reaching the ground.