The Role of Droughts in Modulating Hailstorm Dynamics in Alberta, Canada.
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| Title: | The Role of Droughts in Modulating Hailstorm Dynamics in Alberta, Canada. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Mohamed, Issam1 (AUTHOR), Najafi, Mohammad Reza1 (AUTHOR) mnajafi7@uwo.ca, Joe, Paul2 (AUTHOR), Mo, Ruping3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Hydrometeorology. Mar2026, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p399-415. 17p. |
| Subjects: | Droughts, Hailstorms, Heat convection, Thermal instability |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada, Alberta |
| Abstract: | Hailstorms pose serious risks to agriculture, infrastructure, and urban systems, yet their interactions with drought remain poorly understood. Drought can influence convective environments by altering surface heating, moisture availability, and atmospheric stability, potentially modulating hail frequency and intensity. This study investigates these relationships in Alberta using radar-derived vertically integrated liquid water content (VIL) as a proxy for hail size and ERA5 reanalysis data. Drought conditions are characterized using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index at short-, intermediate-, and long-term scales. Composite analyses suggest that short- and intermediate-term droughts enhance early season (May–June) hail intensity at lower VIL quantiles, consistent with increased surface heating and atmospheric instability. In contrast, prolonged droughts suppress late-season (August–September) hail activity as soil moisture depletion limits convective development. Convective available potential energy (CAPE) analysis further indicates that instability is generally lower in dry years, reducing convective potential and hailstorm severity, while nondry years exhibit a wider CAPE distribution, supporting more intense convective storms. These results highlight the role of antecedent drought conditions in modulating storm dynamics and suggest that different drought durations exert distinct influences on hail severity. The findings provide new insights into compound drought–hail interactions, with implications for seasonal forecasting and climate adaptation in hail-prone regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Hydrometeorology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 192792972 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The Role of Droughts in Modulating Hailstorm Dynamics in Alberta, Canada. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mohamed%2C+Issam%22">Mohamed, Issam</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Najafi%2C+Mohammad+Reza%22">Najafi, Mohammad Reza</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> mnajafi7@uwo.ca</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joe%2C+Paul%22">Joe, Paul</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mo%2C+Ruping%22">Mo, Ruping</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Hydrometeorology%22">Journal of Hydrometeorology</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p399-415. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Droughts%22">Droughts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hailstorms%22">Hailstorms</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heat+convection%22">Heat convection</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thermal+instability%22">Thermal instability</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Alberta%22">Alberta</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Hailstorms pose serious risks to agriculture, infrastructure, and urban systems, yet their interactions with drought remain poorly understood. Drought can influence convective environments by altering surface heating, moisture availability, and atmospheric stability, potentially modulating hail frequency and intensity. This study investigates these relationships in Alberta using radar-derived vertically integrated liquid water content (VIL) as a proxy for hail size and ERA5 reanalysis data. Drought conditions are characterized using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index at short-, intermediate-, and long-term scales. Composite analyses suggest that short- and intermediate-term droughts enhance early season (May–June) hail intensity at lower VIL quantiles, consistent with increased surface heating and atmospheric instability. In contrast, prolonged droughts suppress late-season (August–September) hail activity as soil moisture depletion limits convective development. Convective available potential energy (CAPE) analysis further indicates that instability is generally lower in dry years, reducing convective potential and hailstorm severity, while nondry years exhibit a wider CAPE distribution, supporting more intense convective storms. These results highlight the role of antecedent drought conditions in modulating storm dynamics and suggest that different drought durations exert distinct influences on hail severity. The findings provide new insights into compound drought–hail interactions, with implications for seasonal forecasting and climate adaptation in hail-prone regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Hydrometeorology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1175/JHM-D-25-0105.1 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 399 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Droughts Type: general – SubjectFull: Hailstorms Type: general – SubjectFull: Heat convection Type: general – SubjectFull: Thermal instability Type: general – SubjectFull: Canada Type: general – SubjectFull: Alberta Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The Role of Droughts in Modulating Hailstorm Dynamics in Alberta, Canada. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mohamed, Issam – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Najafi, Mohammad Reza – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Joe, Paul – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mo, Ruping IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1525755X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 27 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Hydrometeorology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
