LARA EATON, MANCHESTER: HOW IS HAIL MADE?

Many of us have experienced those hot summer days which start off with sunshine, before towering cumulonimbus clouds bubble up through the day, eventually bringing thunder, lightning and torrential downpours.

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In some instances, those thunderous clouds can also deliver hail - small balls of ice that fall to the ground. But how does hail form?

When clouds reach the dizzy heights of cumulonimbus status, their peaks can ascend to 10-15km in the sky. By this point, they aren't full of just ice crystals, but also supercooled water droplets; water still in liquid form, despite its temperature being below freezing.