Beware, other downbursts may form later. One of the two primary ways to detect a downburst is to spot a rain foot . The rain foot is a pronounced outward deflection of the precipitation area near the ground, marking an area of strong outflow winds. The second identification method is the presence of a dust foot , a plume of dust raised as the downburst reaches the ground and moves away from the impact point. The dust foot is most common int the High Plains, western states, and over plowed fields.
Large hail is a common occurrence in strong thunderstorms, especially supercells.
Hail forms as super cooled water is carried aloft by the updraft and freezes. Hail size is determined by the updraft strength, i.e., the stronger the updraft, the larger the hailstones. Single cell storms can produce hail up to about nickel size, multicell storms to about golf ball size, and supercells up to about softball size. If you spot hail larger than golf balls, you are very near a supercell's main updraft and should go quickly to a safe place as described in the Thunderstorm Hazard and Safety Tips section of this guide. Us Copyright 1998 Topeka Capital-Journal.