ROLE OF AEROSOL PARTICLES IN FORMATION OF RAINDROPS AND HAILSTONES IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS

Abstract

Variable concentrations of different sized water-insoluble particles were found in bulk rainwater and single raindrops (liquid phase) and in hailstones (solid phase) collected from severe thunderstorms in Colorado-Nebraska region; numerical model shows possible conditions for formation of raindrops around gian aerosol particles; model's calculations also predict strong separation of different sized aerosol particles ingested by storm; latter was verified in samples from storm in which rainfall contained no 50 to 75 U diam particles, while hailstones contained up to 2300 particles in same size range, per gram of ice.