Why Does Oklahoma Hail Look Like Piles of Snow?

Dreaming of a white Oklahoma spring storm season? One Oklahoman received piles of hail at their front door during a recent bout of severe weather. And it looked like they had just received some winter weather instead of Oklahoma's typical spring thunderstorm.

It's not uncommon for Oklahoma to receive so much hail that it looks like piles of snow. But is it the same thing? It's all frozen moisture from the sky, right?

What's the difference between hail and snow?

Contrary to what other people may think, Oklahoma is no stranger to snow. Although the Sooner State doesn't receive as much snow as the states to the north, the sky has been known to to drop several inches of snow across the plains of Oklahoma. But Oklahomans are more familiar with ice in the winter than snow. And in the springtime, Okies know a thing or two about hail.

According to an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, snow and graupel, hail's cousins, require cold temperatures near the ground, while hail doesn't. Hail actually develops "when updrafts send ice pellets into cold air aloft."

The short answer: hail is straight ice. And when it hits the ground and accumulates to look like snow, it's still considered hail. But when a lot of hail is dropped from the sky, it can look like piles of snow. But once you get closer, you're able to see the individual ice pellets.

Oklahoma can get some pretty bad hail storms.

Everyone knows tornadoes can cause significant damage. But hail storms can cause just as much or even more, mostly to property. Oklahoma has been known to have some devastating hail storms. Unlike tornadoes which make hits in one, singular bath, hail storms can cause damage to wide sets of areas.

In June 2023, Oklahoma experienced one of its worst hail storms to date. According to the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma had a widespread severe weather outbreak that resulted in "numerous reports of large to very large hail, including reports of 4-inch hail in Lawton, and wind damage were received across area."

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See the hail that looks like snow on an Okie's front porch!

Spring storm season is off to a strong start in Oklahoma. Recently, a severe thunderstorm went through Oklahoma and dropped lots of hail across the Sooner State. One resident in southeast Lawton received so much hail that it looked like their entire front yard and porch were covered in snow! Check out the picture in the Facebook post below.

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