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Afternoon hail storm hits surrounding Portland areas

Some areas around Portland got a surprise storm with hail and graupel on Wednesday afternoon.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Some areas around Portland got a surprise storm with hail and graupel on Wednesday afternoon.

What's the difference? Here's how NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory explains the difference between hail and graupel:

Hail is a form of precipitation that occurs when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops upward into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere where they freeze into ice. To be considered hail, the frozen precipitation pieces must have a diameter greater than 5mm (.20”).

Graupel (a.k.a. soft hail or snow pellets) are soft small pellets of ice created when supercooled water droplets coat a snowflake.

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SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON

FOREST GROVE

BEAVERTON

Hail in Beaverton
Currently in Beaverton. Coming down hard.

GRESHAM

Hail in Gresham right now. Looks like snow! 2-20-19 1:40pm
Gresham, Oregon

FAIRVIEW

SALEM

MCMINNVILLE


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