You're driving your car on the highway,
when you see something in the sky.
Minutes later,
you find yourself in a violent storm.
Hail the size of a softball,
and weighing as much as as half a kilo (1 lb),
is falling from the sky.
It's big, and fast,
it could shatter your windshield.
If one of these mega hailstones
hits your head,
you could be dead.
Ok, so here's how hail is formed.
Small air currents sweep
raindrops upwards,
to where it's extremely cold,
and the raindrops freeze.
When the frozen raindrops are
heavy enough that the winds can't
carry them anymore, they start falling.
On their way, they collide
with raindrops that are in their path,
and freeze together.
So they keep growing.
And by the time the hail reaches you,
it could be the size of a grapefruit,
or even a bowling ball.
Imagine that the sky is raining
grapefruit-sized chunks of ice.
Hail does not have to be the smooth,
round ice stones that we expect.
Some hail is jagged and sharp.
If these huge projectiles start speeding
toward you, what choices do you have?
Don't try to drive out of a hailstorm.
Instead, turn on your hazard lights,
slow down, and pull over to the curb.
You don't want to drive in a hailstorm,
as you wouldn't be able to see very well,
and the falling hailstones
could shatter your windshield.
You don't want glass in your face,
and a broken windshield will decrease
your visibility even more.
Also, other drivers on the road could panic,
increasing the chances of having
an accident.
"Hit that car, the brakes!
Hit the brakes."
Once you have stopped,
don't get out of the vehicle.
Instead, sit in the back seat,
and use a blanket or a coat
to cover your head, and protect yourself,
just in case.
Being out in a mega hailstorn could be
the worst decision of your life.
We’ll get to this a bit later.
Would you take out your phone,
to video massive hailstones
falling from the sky,
so you could share it on
your social media accounts?
That idea might be tempting,
but according to
the National Severe Storms Laboratory,
mega hailstones can fall at
speeds up to 116 km/h (72 mph).
If just one hits your window,
it could shatter it,
causing the glass to fly everywhere,
and injure you.
So get as far away from windows
as possible.
While you're waiting for
the mega hailstorm to end,
use your phone to share your location
with your friends or family.
And sign up for weather alerts,
so you know what's going on outside
without leaving your car.
Make sure that you carry your portable
power bank and a charging cord
at all times,
because a mega hailstorm can
cut off the electricity.
Don't risk going outside
even if the hail is isn't falling steadily.
You can't dodge it, and you never know
when it might start falling again.
However, if your car is no longer
safe enough for you and your friends
to stay in, carefully evaluate your options.
Make a plan to find a better place
to hide from the hail.
And find something that will protect you,
especially your head.
Don't run, though.
Those uneven chunks of ice are slippery.
If you're outside when a mega hailstorm
starts, head for shelter, and don't look up.
Don't stand underneath flimsy structures
as they can fall apart.
Instead, go into a nearby store
or building until the storm is over.
And if you're indoors, finding a basement
and staying down there
is your safest option.
Once you're indoors, stay inside,
even if you might have forgotten
something valuable in your car.
You can replace those things,
but you only have one life.
It's not worth it.
Stay safe, and stay indoors.
Even when you think the storm is over,
don't forget about hail swaths.
Hail swaths are the pathway
that hail falls in as the storm moves out.
Hail swaths can range in size
from just a few meters to an area
that’s 16 km (10 mi) wide
and 161 km (100 mi) long.
So make sure you wait it out
completely before heading out.
Mega hailstorms don't happen often,
but they can happen almost anywhere.
And as climate change worsens,
there may be more mega hailstorms.
But what if, because of a mega hailstorm,
your car skids, and you're hanging over
the edge of a cliff?
What could you do?
Check it out, right here