Weather

What causes mist and fog?

Tiny water droplets condensing from moist air cause both mist and fog. They can occur at ground level. The air can only hold a limited amount of water vapour. If the air suddenly cools, its capacity to hold water is reduced, resulting in mist or fog. When fog occurs visibility can be affected. Mist is less dense. It commonly occurs on calm, clear nights when heat rises, forming a thin layer of mist close to the ground. 

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How are hailstones formed?

Hail is produced when particles of ice bounce up and down inside a cloud. In cold temperatures, water droplets inside a cloud will freeze into small pellets of ice. As these begin to fall, they may meet warm air rising, which carries them back up into the cloud. There they cool once more, and the process is repeated. As more and more water freezes onto their surface, the ice pellets gradually grow in size. Eventually they become so heavy that they fall to the ground as hailstones. Some hailstones are as big as a clenched fist and can do serious damage to buildings and livestock. 

Picture credit: google