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Cumulus
Cumulus clouds are those white, puffy clouds that float through the sky on an otherwise clear day. While these clouds typically appear on a pleasant day and do not create hail themselves, they are the beginnings of a cloud that does cause hail. In some situations, these harmless clouds can begin to build in the center, both vertically and horizontally, these cumulus clouds quickly become storm-producing clouds.
Cumulonimbus
As the cumulus clouds begin to build in bulk, they turn into cumulonimbus clouds, which are the large, dark, ominous clouds that commonly bring severe weather. It is this type of cloud that often spawns severe storms that feature lightning, thunder, hail, strong winds and sometimes even tornadoes. These clouds begin to form because of rapidly changing air pressure where the air currents are rapidly rising and falling. These clouds are commonly called thunderheads because of their accompanying storms.
Cloud Conditions
Not all cumulonimbus clouds result in hail. Specific conditions must be present for a storm to produce hail. The cumulonimbus cloud must be tall to form hail. Many of these clouds are more than 50,000 feet above the ground. The top portion of the clouds must be located in air that is below freezing to allow the rain within the cloud to freeze. The winds must also be cycling up and down within the cloud to allow the rain to be propelled upward and freeze in the colder temperatures.
Hail Formation
Rain begins to fall within the cumulonimbus storm clouds. However, instead of falling to the ground, the wind within the cloud picks up that precipitation and sweeps it upward toward the top of the cloud. Once this precipitation reaches the upper levels of the cloud, it freezes and falls again. This process repeats, adding a coating of ice each time, until the hail stone is too heavy and falls to the ground. The size of the hail depends on how many times it is swept up and refrozen.