A Review of Hail-Measuring Instruments

Abstract

The characteristics of commonly used surface hail instruments are reviewed and instruments evaluated. The instruments evaluated have been classified into two major categories: integrating and recording. The integrating sensors are relatively inexpensive and provide certain useful hail data. The recording sensors are much more expensive but provide more useful data including time of hail. The review includes the principles of operation, types of data obtained, operational advantages and disadvantages, and approximate cost of each type of instrument.