Hail in the Kvemo Kartli Region (Georgia)

The research aimed at studying the characteristics of hail in the Kvemo Kartli region (Georgia). Hail (30%) is the most frequent natural hydrometeorological event in the territory of Georgia after flash floods (37%). Hail is typical for the Kvemo Kartli region, where agricultural production is the leading industry. It damages farm lands. The study of hail is very important for the development and introduction of hail prevention methods in the region.We used the observation materials of 7 weather stations of the region for the years of 1961-2022, a catalog was compiled and the following characteristics of hailfall were calculated: probability, number of days, intensity, frequency, duration, and distribution areas.Hail is observed in the warm spell of the year; especially active processes develop in spring and the first half of summer, which are associated with convective clouds.The highest number of hailfall days in the region is 12-14 days a year. In the Kvemo Kartli region, hail damage the territory with an area of ​​1 to 5 square kilometers in 38% of its cases; in 33% of cases, it damages an area of ​​less than 1 km2. An area of ​​more than 5 km2 is damaged in approximately 30% of cases of hail. Rarely, hail damages much larger areas, for example, more than 50 km2 is damaged in 3% of cases. The average duration of hailfall is 9-10 minutes. In 60% of cases, hailfall lasts less than 5 minutes, in 80% of cases, the duration of hailfall is less than 10 minutes. In 3% of cases, hail can last for an hour and a half.Thus, the main climatic characteristics of hail in the Kvemo Kartli region have been identified.The research results can be used to reduce the negative impact of hail and implement measures to prevent hail.This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG) Grant № FR-19-14993.