Global Hailstone Size Projections Under Historical and Future Climate Scenarios

Modeled hailstone data supports a study on shifting hailstone size spectrums under anthropogenic climate change. The 6.3 GB dataset contains meteorological forcing fields, simulation outputs, and validation data for 14,297 major hail events. Shiyi Zhang created this resource, which was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in near-surface hailstone diameter across historical and future SSP scenarios (SSP245, SSP370, SSP585).
• Validate hail growth model performance using processed historical observations of hailstone size.
• Correlate pre-storm environmental parameters from ERA5 reanalysis with simulated maximum hailstone diameters.
• Study hailstone growth duration and composite trajectory outputs from semi-three-dimensional model simulations.
• Reproduce global projections of hailstorm damage potential using the provided meteorological input fields and event classifications.

Strengths

• Contains data for 14,297 major hail events with associated environmental parameters.
• Includes model outputs for multiple future climate scenarios (SSP245, SSP370, SSP585).
• Data is provided in NetCDF format, ensuring interoperability for scientific workflows.

Limitations

• The dataset's 6.3 GB size may require significant storage and computational resources for full analysis.
• Model validation relies on processed historical observations, which may introduce biases from the original processing methods.
• Future scenario projections are based on specific climate models and emissions pathways, representing a subset of possible outcomes.

Provenance

Source

Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data and hail growth model simulations by Shiyi Zhang.

Collection Method

Meteorological fields were processed to drive a semi-three-dimensional hail growth model; outputs include simulated diameters and trajectories.

Time Range

Historical period and future projections under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026, containing projections for future scenarios.

Geography

Global coverage of hail events and environmental parameters.