What is hail formed from?

Hail is formed when rain droplets are carried upward by strong updrafts within cumulonimbus clouds, which are associated with thunderstorms. As these droplets are pushed higher into the cloud, they encounter extremely low temperatures, causing them to freeze into small ice pellets. The upward movements in the cloud can carry these pellets up and down multiple times, allowing them to accumulate layers of ice, growing larger before they eventually fall to the ground when they become too heavy for the updrafts to support.

This process is unique to severe thunderstorms and contrasts with other types of frozen precipitation, such as snow or sleet, that form under different atmospheric conditions. The specific combination of moisture, strong vertical winds, and freezing conditions within cumulonimbus clouds is crucial for hail formation, making this option the most accurate representation of how hail develops.