Does large hail always come before a tornado?
Dear Tom,
Weather-knowledgeable friends say large hail always comes before a tornado, but I
wonder about that. Is it true?
Peter Micham, southwest suburbs of Chicago
Dear Peter,
It is not true. Only the wind fields within and in the area several miles around a severe
thunderstorm provide reliable clues as to the storm's tornado-producing capabilities.
Unfortunately, those telltale signs are rarely apparent to an observer. Only Doppler
radars can detect them.
Severe storms forecaster Roger Edwards of the National Weather Service's Storm
Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., says: "Does hail always come before a tornado?
Rain? Lightning? Utter silence? High winds? Not necessarily for any of those. Hail can
indicate the presence of an unusually dangerous thunderstorm, but it is not a reliable
predictor of tornado threat."