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2d ago

ICECHIP Research Drives Into Hailstorms, Challenges Forecast Models

The NSF-funded team has driven into storms with fortified vehicles to collect hail data that upends Doppler radar assumptions.

A hailstorm is visible from Northern Illinois University's Husky Hail Hunter vehicle during a Project ICECHIP operation Friday, June 6, 2025, in Levelland, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Project ICECHIP members, from left, Ethan Mok, Logan Bundy, Nathan Sonntag, Victor Gensini and Katie Wargowsky sit in chairs next to the command vehicle waiting for storms to develop Friday, June 6, 2025, in Morton, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Tony Illenden crouches in a helmet and gloves outside Northern Illinois University's Husky Hail Hunter vehicle to scoop hail into a bag during a storm while on a Project ICECHIP operation Friday, June 6, 2025, in Levelland, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Tony Illenden, a member of Northern Illinois University's Husky Hail Hunter team, picks up hail during a Project ICECHIP operation Friday, June 6, 2025, near Morton, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Overview

  • Since May 18, the ICECHIP team has tracked severe hailstorms across the Great Plains, covering over 5,700 miles in fortified vehicles to gather direct storm data.
  • Field data gathered on June 6 in Texas reveal that the largest hail falls outside the areas indicated by Doppler radar, exposing key forecasting blind spots.
  • Researchers deploy weather balloons, drones, specialized funnels and crushers to measure hailstone size, composition and impact strength.
  • One scientist sustained a hand injury when a hailstone struck his glove during a storm, highlighting the operation’s inherent dangers.
  • Funded by an $11 million National Science Foundation grant, the project seeks to refine forecasts and inform development of more hail-resistant roofing materials to mitigate the $10 billion in annual U.S. hail damages.