Third Grade
Worksheets
Hailstones
Caption: This hailstone measured seven inches across! It fell in Aurora, Nebraska, in June 2003.
Sometimes in the spring or summer it rains. Raindrops fall from the dark clouds in the sky. But sometimes in the spring and summer it hails. What is hail? Hailstones are balls of ice. When powerful winds blow raindrops really high up into the air, hailstones are formed. These strong winds blow the raindrops two or three miles high! The air up there is really cold. In fact, it is so cold that it turns the raindrops into balls of ice. These are hailstones. The hailstones then start to fall. As they fall, they become covered with water. Then the strong winds blow them back up again. Their trip up to the high, cold air forms another layer of ice. This cycle repeats many times. Eventually, these hailstones fall to earth. Thankfully, when they fall they are not usually very big. .....
