Hail — Harrison, Indiana

2023-05-09 · near Hillgrove, Harrison, Indiana

Event narrative

Quarter sized hail was observed.

Wider weather episode

During the early morning hours on May 9th, a cluster of showers and thunderstorms developed along the Ohio River in the vicinity of a quasi-stationary front. Storms were able to strengthen in the presence of 1000-1500 J/kg MUCAPE and 35-40 knots of effective bulk shear in spite of the fact that they developed during the middle of the night. With sufficient wind shear in place, storms were primarily supercellular in nature. While the environment suggested a low-end threat for damaging winds and tornadoes, hail turned out to be the primary severe hazard produced by storms across southern Indiana. Mid-level lapse rates ranged from 7 to 7.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer, while left-moving supercell composite parameter was maximized in the vicinity of the Ohio River. In this area, severe cells ultimately produced a swath of severe hail, with hail sizes ranging from quarter size to baseball size.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.1497, -86.1450)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1103512. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.