Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
How do you study a weather hazard that smashes everything it touches?
Meet the Hail Camera — a custom-built 4K, high-speed imaging system developed to capture hailstones in freefall for the first time ever. In this behind-the-scenes look, scientists explain how and why they designed a truck-mounted camera rig that films hail at 330 frames per second, using a lighting array 30% brighter than the sun 🌞.
From collaborations with OU baseball and softball to real-world deployments during spring storms, this system is unlocking groundbreaking insights about how hail forms, falls, and causes billions in damage annually.
🎥 Watch as hailstones nearly 3 inches wide rotate, shed water, and shatter — all in super slow motion. The goal? Better data. Smarter forecasts. More accurate warnings.
🔔 Subscribe for more severe weather science, storm chasing tech, and cutting-edge field research.
Read the full story: inside.nssl.noaa.gov/nsslnews/2025/06/revolutionizing-hail-forecasts-one-falling-stone-at-a-time
0:00 Built For Purpose
1:31 Trial By Velocity
2:37 Deployed for Discovery
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Follow Us On
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Facebook: facebook.com/NOAA.NSSL
Twitter: twitter.com/NOAANSSL
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/noaanssl
Instagram: instagram.com/noaanssl
More videos from NOAA Weather Partners: youtube.com/user/NOAAWP
How do you study a weather hazard that smashes everything it touches?
Meet the Hail Camera — a custom-built 4K, high-speed imaging system developed to capture hailstones in freefall for the first time ever. In this behind-the-scenes look, scientists explain how and why they designed a truck-mounted camera rig that films hail at 330 frames per second, using a lighting array 30% brighter than the sun 🌞.
From collaborations with OU baseball and softball to real-world deployments during spring storms, this system is unlocking groundbreaking insights about how hail forms, falls, and causes billions in damage annually.
🎥 Watch as hailstones nearly 3 inches wide rotate, shed water, and shatter — all in super slow motion. The goal? Better data. Smarter forecasts. More accurate warnings.
🔔 Subscribe for more severe weather science, storm chasing tech, and cutting-edge field research.
Read the full story: inside.nssl.noaa.gov/nsslnews/2025/06/revolutionizing-hail-forecasts-one-falling-stone-at-a-time
0:00 Built For Purpose
1:31 Trial By Velocity
2:37 Deployed for Discovery
————————————
Follow Us On
————————————
Facebook: facebook.com/NOAA.NSSL
Twitter: twitter.com/NOAANSSL
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/noaanssl
Instagram: instagram.com/noaanssl
More videos from NOAA Weather Partners: youtube.com/user/NOAAWP
