December 16, 2016
WOODY WHITLATCH WEATHER WORDS
When I was in college, a good friend drove an old Ford Falcon he nicknamed “the golf ball.” That was because of hundreds of dimple-like dents from an encounter with a hailstorm. Hail is rounded pieces of ice at least 0.20 inches in diameter. Hail is one of the three types of frozen precipitation generated in clouds that falls to earth; snow and ice pellets (sometimes called sleet) are the others. The National Weather Service defines damaging hail as hailstones greater than one
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Damaging hail unlikely in California
inch in diameter. That threshold became effective in 2010. The previous threshold was three-quarters of an inch. Precise hailstone measurements are nearly impossible to make for several reasons. Most hailstones are not round, and many lose mass as they hit the ground. Also, some melting occurs before measurements are made. The size of hailstones is best determined by measuring the diameter with a ruler. In the absence of a ruler, the size can be visually estimated by comparing it to known objects. In their forecasts, meteorologists like to use common objects to estimate the size of hail. It can fall in small pieces, such as the size of a pea (0.25 inches) or marble (0.5 inches). It can also form in larger chunks, like the size of a penny (three-quarters of an inch), a
quarter (1 inch), a golf ball (1.75 inches), a baseball (2.75 inches) or even a softball (4.5 inches). The largest U.S. hailstone was found in South Dakota in 2010. It had a diameter of 8 inches and weighed nearly 2 pounds. Scientists estimate the fall velocity of that stone likely exceeded 75 mph. Hailstones form within updraft air currents of thunderstorm clouds. As water droplets rise, they cool and eventually freeze – becoming ice pellets. These pellets attract super-cooled water vapor within the cloud. A process called accretion allows the water vapor to freeze, and the pellet grows in size. As the hailstone becomes heavy and reaches the top of the updraft, gravity takes over and the hailstone falls toward the ground. Some falling hail-
stones get re-entrained in other strong updrafts and continue to grow. The part of the United States most affected by hailproducing thunderstorms includes the tornado alley states of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Hailstorms scarcely occur in California because the atmospheric conditions needed to trigger severe thunderstorms rarely are present. Weather Service records from California indicate the state’s largest hailstone measured 3 inches. The record largest hailstone in Contra Costa County fell near Brentwood in 1983 and measured three-quarters of an inch. In the Bay Area, most reports of hail are actually small ice pellets bouncing off the pavement. These harmless pellets form during winter
MVP,
from page 11
He was also a first-team allDiablo Valley Athletic League defensive lineman in 2015. Local DAL school, DLS and Carondelet athletes on fall sports allleague teams:
DIABLO ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Cross County FOOTHILL Boys: 1st team-Michael Wheeler, Omar Kabbani (Northgate); 2nd team-Connor Kugler (NG). Girls: 1st team-Jessica Boucher (NG); 2nd teamIsabelle Antolin (NG); Honorable Mention-Katrina Kohlmeyer, Sara Wheeler (NG). VALLEY Boys: 1st teamDylan White, JJ Perez, Branden Bizicki (Clayton Valley Charter), Benjamin Stame (Berean Christian), Kenyon Kremin (Concord); 2nd teamNathan Robbins (BC), Paris Ruiz, Michael Cox, Matt Hyland (CV), Evan Stanziano (Con); HM-Floyd McCluhan (CV), Tyler Dresdow, Luke Wilson, Nicholas Morales (BC), Chris Funes (Con). Girls: 1st team- Rayna Stanziano, Hannah Jenevein (Con), Kelly Osterkamp, Serena Connel (CV), Tessa Bolter (BC); 2nd team-Alyssa Granados (Con), Sarah Verderame, Natalie Ruzicka, Angie Dubnoff, Jessica Hevener, Cassie Bizicki (CV); HM-Calissa Burr, Natalie Vallet (Con).
Girls Golf FOOTHILL 1st team-Dymphna Ueda, Gia Felicia, Skye MingMing (NG); 2nd teamSerena Billeci (NG). VALLEY 2nd team- Jenna Fassio (CV); HM- Morgan Christiansen (CV), Kendall Matrisian (BC), Kiana Bozeman (Con), Lauren Curtis, Kalina Campos (Ygnacio Valley).
Girls Tennis FOOTHILL 1st team-Nichole Markiewicz, Raquel Aguilar-Antonina Bazulin (NG); 2nd team-Jessie McCann (NG); HM-Euna Park (NG). VALLEY MVP- Aya Miller (BC); 1st team- Dalia Anwar, Megan Brys, Tracy Nguyen (CV), Evelyn Almaraz (Con), Danielle Maestri, Melisa Hansen (BC), Paige Oka, Natalie Hastings (YV); 2nd team-Emi Tom (BC), Trinh Nguyen, Sam Alexander (Con), Sarisha Bhalia, Nelly Elahmadie, Grace Gius, Sarah Condon, Kaeli Calica (CV), Valeria Cruz (YV); HMTehya Balido (CV), Sophia Meals, Noel Wyzykowski (BC), Ariann Norori, Katrina Mutchie (YV).
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storms when drops of rain freeze as they fall through a layer of cold air near the earth’s surface. “The golf ball” Falcon proves hailstorms can cause havoc. But Bay Area residents can enjoy the occasional spectacle of harmless ice pellets
and seldom worry about damaging hailstones thrown to earth by giant thunderstorms. Woody Whitlatch is a meteorologist retired from PG&E. Email your questions or comments to clayton_909@yahoo.com
Sports fan, from page 11
battling for first in the Pacific Division with Anaheim, Edmonton and Calgary. The Giants had more even-year magic in 2016, winning a dramatic Wild Card game before losing to the eventual World Champion Cubs in heartbreaking fashion. While it may have let some fans down, a postseason appearance is nothing to take lightly (only 10 out of 30 MLB teams make it). The Raiders had an encouraging outlook for the 2016 season, but they have blown away expectations. Oakland is currently tied for first in the AFC with New England with a 9-2 record. With five games remaining, the Raiders guaranteed their first winning record since 2002. Three of the major colleges have also had national success in the past calendar year; the Stanford Cardinal, California Golden Bears and the St. Mary’s Gaels have excelled. Stanford football started the year off with a bang, winning the 102nd Rose Bowl 4516 over Iowa. While Palo Alto’s football team didn’t repeat as Pac-12 champions this fall they still went 9-3 to earn a Top 20 College Football
Playoff ranking and a trip to the Sun Bowl Dec. 30. Cal had achievements in both football and basketball. Their star quarterback Jared Goff was taken first overall in the 2016 NFL draft and their star small forward Jaylen Brown was taken third overall in the NBA draft. In addition, the Golden Bear basketball team secured a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their highest seeding ever. With top draft pick candidate Ivan Rabb staying home for a sophomore season the outlook this year looks strong. St. Mary’s had an outstanding 2015-16 season, finishing with a superb 29-6 record. However, they were snubbed from March Madness yet again. This season, the basketball team from Moraga is looking for more than just a berth in the tournament, as they are ranked 12th in the country. While 2016 was a great year for Bay Area sports teams, there is no reason to believe that 2017 won’t be even better. Now, if only the A’s and 49ers could get it together!
Email any comments or questions to sports@concordpioneer.com.
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Three-year standout Koti Vaisima (7, middle in black jersey) did lots of the dirty work as a lineman for the CVCHS ugly eagles outstanding defense and was rewarded at the end of the DAL season as the league Defensive MVP. He is mulling offers from colleges after a stellar career for Clayton Valley Charter football. Girls Volleyball FOOTHILL 2nd team-Ali Silva (NG); HM-Kinsey Anderson (NG). VALLEY Co-MVP-Tori Klock (CV), Sterling Parker (Alhambra); 1st team- Erika Schaefer (CV), Michaela Charrette, Peyton Greene (BC), Victoria La (Con), Simona Veselinova (YV); 2nd team- Coco Alvarez, Madison Downs (CV), Becca Jones (BC); HM- Genna Love (CV), Emily Hockenbery (Con), Gillian Seguerre (BC), Isela Garcia (YV), Juliana Pine (Mt. Diablo).
Water Polo FOOTHILL Boys 2nd team-Decklan Cashman, Hunter Peeff (NG); HM-Ryan Henderson (NG). FOOTHILL Girls 2nd team-Carlie Polkinghorn (NG); HM-Cameron Holian (NG). VALLEY Boys: 1st teamCameron Brandt, Cal Brown (CV); 2nd team-Max Silverberg, Andrey Pristinsky (CV), Elon McCullogh (Con); HMJacob Coppa (CV), Cassidy Porter (Con). VALLEY Girls: MVP-Karlee Kronquist (Con); 1st teamBailey Reading, Skyy Burney, Haley Darr, Caitlin O’Leary (CV), Ciara O’Kelley (Con); 2nd Team- Sydney Skow, Brooke Johnson (CV), Rylie Pearson, Leslie Maier (Con); HM- Camille Cline (CV), Megan Wadman (Con).
Football FOOTHILL Offense MVP – Tim Tague (Miramonte); Defense MVP – Koti Vaisima (CV). Offense 1st team- Ryan Fischer, Jalen McKenzie, Dino Maraccini (CV), Mike Davis (Con); 2nd team- James Teofilo, Junior Alatini, Brandon Mello, Andy DeLira (CV), Nick Nunez, Ebarsito Rios (Con).
Defense 1st team-Jeff Williams, Adrian Dollo, Evan Barney, Bryce Brand (CV), De’Andre Morgan, Alex Cruz (Con); 2nd team-Brandon Abon, Masi Latu, Aaron Fonsela (CV), Marcos Oropeza, Greg Sandoval (Con). VALLEY Offense MVP – Isaiah Hodgins (BC); Defense MVP- Isaac Hodgins (BC). 1st team-Jayden Jackson, Chandler Davis, David Summers, Nick Gaitan, Johnny Grillos (BC), Jackson Smith, David Ma’ake, Sean Garrigan, Brian Moorhouse, Gavin West, Chris Moser (NG), Robie Moore (MD), Asi Langi (NG), Darius McVay, Christian Ochoa. 2nd team-Tony Rodriguez, Jean Felix, (YV), Nate Greene, Semisi Saluni, Mark Shaffer, Tomas Wheelock, Calvin Smith, German Acasta, Jack Fulp (NG), Jajuan Roguemore (MD), Oscar Martinez, Reagan Rogers, Austin Sharp, Mitch McQueen, Daniel Grogan (BC).
Football Offense 1st team- Kairee Robinson, Wade Willet, Josh Wallunas; 2nd team-Luke Ogburn; HM-Isaiah Foskey, John Deitchman, Christian Villasenor. Defense 1st team-Tuli Letuligasenoa, Isaia Taotua, Tre White; 2nd team- Elijah Short; HM- Heny To’oto’o, Jonathan Hackett, Jackson Walsh.
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