Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried upward by thunderstorm updrafts into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze. Hailstones then grow by colliding with liquid water drops that freeze onto the hailstone's surface. Warm, moisture-rich air is the main fuel source for thunderstorms. The warm air gets absorbed into a storm through the rapidly rising wind, known as an updraft, which powers the whole system. The rapid-rising motion from an updraft forces water molecules (rain) and water vapor to get sucked up to heights where the temperature is freezing, turning water into ice. In between those updrafts, a hail stone will drop down and absorb more water around it, before another updraft pushes it back up to the freezing level and adds another ring of frozen water to the hail stone. While hail can occur in the eastern and southeastern US it is much more common across the Plains and Rockies. Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska are states that typically see hail the most. The reason why Colorado and Wyoming are most likely to get hail is because they have lower freezing levels.
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