A field struck by hail early in the growing season may recover in some circumstances. A similar event close to harvest can cause substantial losses because there may be little time for damaged plants or fruit to recover.
Hail can also damage greenhouses, irrigation equipment, farm buildings, and machinery.
The consequences extend beyond the immediate appearance of the field.
Plant damage may reduce yields, affect product quality, and increase the likelihood of disease in damaged tissues.
For farmers who rely on a narrow harvest window, even a brief hailstorm can disrupt an entire season's work.
How to Protect Yourself During Hail
When a severe thunderstorm warning indicates a hail threat, move indoors.
A sturdy building offers far better protection than a tent, open shelter, or exposed outdoor area.
Stay away from windows and skylights, particularly when large hail is expected.
If you are driving, look for a safe, substantial shelter when one is readily accessible. Avoid stopping beneath trees or in locations where branches may fall.
Do not leave a vehicle while hail is falling heavily in an attempt to inspect damage.
If no suitable shelter is available, remain inside the vehicle, keep away from windows as much as possible, and protect your head until conditions improve.
After the storm passes, use caution when going outdoors. Broken glass, damaged roofing materials, fallen branches, and electrical hazards may remain.
Hailstones can also melt rapidly, so photographs taken immediately after a storm may provide a more accurate record of the event than images taken later.
Destructive Winds Can Turn Trees Into Serious Hazards
The final image shows a tree bent dramatically by powerful wind.
Its branches extend in one direction, and the surrounding landscape appears wet, rocky, and shrouded in mist.
This image illustrates a danger that often receives less attention than tornadoes but can cause widespread damage: strong straight-line winds.
Thunderstorms can produce damaging winds through several mechanisms, including strong downdrafts that descend toward the ground and spread outward.
When these winds reach the surface, they may push across a broad area, damaging trees, roofs, vehicles, and utility infrastructure.
Unlike a tornado, which involves a rotating column of air, straight-line winds do not require a tornado to cause serious destruction.
In some storms, damaging winds affect a much larger area than the path of a single tornado.
How Thunderstorm Downdrafts Develop
A thunderstorm contains complex movements of air.
Warm air rises in the updraft, while precipitation and cooler air can descend in a downdraft.
As rain and hail fall through the atmosphere, they can help cool the surrounding air through evaporation and melting. Cooler air is denser than warmer air and may descend toward the surface.
When the downdraft reaches the ground, it spreads outward.
Depending on the storm's structure and environmental conditions, the resulting winds can become strong enough to cause extensive damage.
A particularly intense thunderstorm downdraft can produce a downburst.
Downbursts may affect a relatively small area or extend over a larger region. Their winds can be powerful enough to flatten vegetation, damage buildings, and overturn vulnerable vehicles.
A photograph of a bent tree cannot determine whether the wind came from a downburst, a tornado, or another source. Meteorological observations and damage assessments are needed to establish the cause.
Nevertheless, the visible bending of a tree illustrates the forces that wind can exert on living structures.
Why Trees Fall During Severe Weather
Trees are designed by nature to withstand a range of environmental conditions, but their resistance has limits.
Strong gusts exert force on branches, trunks, and root systems.
The outcome depends on tree species, age, health, soil conditions, root depth, and the direction and duration of the wind.
A healthy tree with a well-established root system may withstand winds that cause a damaged or shallow-rooted tree to fail.
Saturated soil can make the situation worse because it may reduce the stability of the root system.
Trees with dead branches, internal decay, or previous storm damage may be particularly vulnerable.
When a tree falls, it can strike a house, crush a parked vehicle, block a road, or damage power lines.
Even branches that break away from a tree can become dangerous projectiles during a severe storm.
Residents should therefore avoid standing beneath large trees when strong winds are approaching.
They should also avoid parking vehicles beneath trees whenever a significant risk of falling branches or uprooting exists.
The Danger of Downed Power Lines
Strong winds frequently damage electrical infrastructure.
A fallen branch may pull down a power line, or a tree may collapse directly onto electrical equipment.
A wire lying on the ground may still be energized even if it appears inactive.
People should never approach or touch a fallen power line. They should remain well away from the area and report the hazard to the relevant emergency service or utility provider.
It is also dangerous to touch a tree, fence, vehicle, or other object that may be in contact with a fallen wire.
Water around electrical equipment can introduce additional risks.
After a storm, residents should not assume that a damaged line is safe simply because the electricity appears to be off.
Only qualified utility personnel should handle the electrical hazard.
Why Severe Weather Can Develop So Quickly
Although the four scenes illustrate different hazards, severe thunderstorms can produce several of them during the same event.
The atmosphere is constantly changing as air masses interact, moisture moves through the environment, and temperature differences influence atmospheric stability.
When the ingredients are favorable, thunderstorms can grow rapidly and become organized.
Warm, moist air provides energy for rising air currents. Atmospheric instability allows air parcels to continue rising under the right conditions. Wind shear can help organize storms and influence whether they develop rotating structures or produce widespread damaging winds.
These ingredients do not guarantee severe weather, but their combination can create a favorable environment.
Weather systems can also move across large areas, bringing changing conditions to communities that were previously experiencing relatively calm weather.
The speed of development depends on the situation.
Some severe storms can be anticipated hours in advance, while specific hazards such as tornado formation may become apparent only as the storm evolves.