Wiener Neustadt, Austria (OTS) – For the first time, scientists have
modelled the occurrence of hail
larger than 5 cm globally. European storm researchers analysed long-
term trends of hail frequency and associated economic losses over the
past 30 years. While very large hail is most common in parts of South
America, the United States and South Africa, the study reveals that
the strongest increase in frequency has occurred in Europe. In
contrast, some regions of the Southern Hemisphere have experienced a
decline. Changes in atmospheric moisture near the surface are
primarily responsible for these trends.
Although hail-related losses have increased across Europe, with
several multi-billion-dollar losses over recent years, the
meteorological changes are only partly responsible for this increase.
Rising losses are also driven by greater exposure and vulnerability:
as more homes and infrastructure are built in hazard-prone areas, the
potential for damage increases. This effect is a key driver of rising
losses in the United States and along Australia’s coastlines.
The study was published in Nature Geoscience and lead-authored by
the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL, Austria and Germany) in
collaboration with experts from the Adam Mickiewicz University of
Poznań (Poland) and German reinsurer Munich Re (Germany).
The map illustrates the mean trend in the annual number of very
large hail events per decade between 1950 and 2023. Hail stripes
showing the yearly occurrence of very large hail are provided for six
metropolitan regions.
Reference : Battaglioli, F., Taszarek, M., Groenemeijer, P. et
al. Contrasting trends in very large hail events and related economic
losses across the globe. Nat. Geosci. 19 , 52–58 (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01868-0
