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**Tampa Bay Faces Hail Threat Amidst Hot Weather, Download the 10 Tampa Bay App for Updates**
**Tampa, Fla. –** While Tampa Bay residents are experiencing temperatures in the 90s this week, they should also brace for the possibility of severe thunderstorms, bringing a risk of hail and damaging winds, particularly during the evening commute on Thursday and Friday.
The unexpected combination of heat and hail is due to the unique conditions inside thunderstorms. Powerful updrafts carry water droplets high into the atmosphere where freezing temperatures cause the droplets to freeze. These ice particles then grow as they collide with supercooled water, a process called accretion. The cycle repeats as the hailstone is carried up and down through the thunderstorm until it becomes too heavy for the updraft to support, eventually falling to the ground. Stronger storms boast stronger updrafts, capable of producing larger, potentially dangerous hailstones – those exceeding one inch in diameter are considered severe.
While Florida leads the nation in thunderstorm frequency, hailstorms aren’t as common as in some other states due to a higher freezing level in the atmosphere. However, when powerful storms roll through, hail remains a distinct possibility.
Stay informed and up-to-date on the latest weather developments by downloading the 10 Tampa Bay app, where you can stream live coverage and find the latest forecasts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses a comparison chart of hail size relative to common objects.
First Piper 