Aerosol Impacts on Hail Size Making Use of NOAA SPC Observations

The United States can be influenced by aerosols transported from different parts of the world such as Asia, Canada, Mexico, and Central America via various air masses year-round. It is known that aerosols can influence cloud development and precipitation. However, what are the impacts of aerosols on severe weather events? The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a trend between AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) and large hail cases. By analyzing severe hail events gathered from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) database, we analyze AOD amount and hail size to determine possible correlations between the two components. We will also use aerosol trajectory analysis to validate the source regions of the aerosols. The time frame for this project includes ten years of data.