Peter Kemp wrote:

On or about Mon, 19 Jan 2004 09:28:37 +0000, Alan Lothian
allegedly uttered:

In article , Keith Willshaw
wrote:

Hmmm, I suspect when dealing with a kg of water it makes a
big difference to the fan blades if that water is frozen
in a single lump.

Indeed. Strange to relate, more windscreens are smashed by hailstones
than by raindrops.

Hailstones can get rather larger than raindrops. In the various
updrafts within stormclouds the raindrops grow until they reach a size
at which they're too unstable in the airflows and fission into smaller
drops, hail just keeps growing until the updrafts can't keep them up.

I've never been hurt by rainfall, but one short shower of 1" hail left
me very battered, slightly dazed, and in need of a large drink and a
quiet lie down.

I'd be interested to know what experiments, if any,
the programme did in order to reach its conclusions. Obviously they are
quite correct about kinetic energy and momentum, but transfer of
momentum operates in many different ways depending very much on the
nature of the materials in which the transfer occurs.

I have to admit I missed the show and will keep an eye out for the
inevitable rerun as it would be one I'd like to see.
---
Peter Kemp

Life is short - Drink Faster

There was a hailstorm in Texas several years ago during a large outdoor
festival of some sort. Couple of folks maimed, lots hospitalized, millions
of
dollars in property damage. ( Broken glass, totaled cars, roof damage. )

--Dale