Grapefruit-sized hail may become more common in a warmer world

Climate change may make hail more destructive in some regions while easing risks in others

Many pieces of hail lying in the grass

Hailstones cover the grass in North Dakota after a June 27, 2025, storm during the National Science Foundation’s In Situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hailstones in the Plains field campaign. A new study suggests climate change may make large, damaging hail more common in some regions.

Qinghong Zhang/Peking University

On April 28, a fierce hailstorm battered Springfield, Mo.,