HAIL – A RISK CLIMATIC PHENOMENON IN DOBROGEA
MARIUS LUNGU, LILIANA PANAITESCU, GEORGE CRACU, SIMONA NIŢĂ, MIHAELA ELENA ŞONEL
ABSTRACT. – Hail represents a type of solid precipitation made up of transparent or opaque ice granules of different shapes (spherical or pointed), sizes (with diameters between 0.5 and 50 mm) and weight (from a few grams to over 300 grams), which fall during rainfalls accompanied by storm phenomena (thunder and lightening) and strong wind. Among all the solid hydrometeors, hail represents a climatic risk that, though rare, can incur local or regional natural calamities of considerable proportions in a very short period of time, depending on the trajectory of the Cumulonimbus cloud that generates it.
The field research and the specialized literature indicate that almost all the hail cases in Dobrogea caused important losses, especially in agriculture.
As it occurs in the warm period of the year, hail affects the agricultural crops, grapevine and fruit trees in different development stages, affecting the biological cycle. One case of hail is enough to compromise the entire crop if it occurs in a critical stage of the plant development. This phenomenon can have minimal effects when the size and density of the fallen stones are small, when it lasts for a shorter period of time and the vegetation stage is advanced. Taking into account its randomness, hail is considered without a doubt, a risk climatic phenomenon, characteristic to Dobrogea (especially in the centre and north). In order to realize this study, the following specific parameters were analyzed: average and maximum annual number, favorable season, day/night interval, duration and also the size of the hail stone.
Keywords: Dobrogea, hail, risk, thermal convection
FULL TEXT