The heaviest hailstones ever recorded, each weighing 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.

Hail stones are formed when strong updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops high into the atmosphere, where they freeze into ice. These frozen raindrops are then caught in the storm’s updrafts, which carry them up and down inside the storm cloud, adding layers of ice to the growing hailstone.

The hailstone continues to grow until it becomes too heavy for the storm’s updrafts to support, and it falls to the ground. The size of the hailstone depends on the strength of the updrafts, the temperature and moisture content of the atmosphere, and the amount of time the hailstone spends inside the storm cloud.

In some cases, hailstones can grow very large, reaching the size of golf balls or even softballs, which can cause significant damage to buildings, crops, and vehicles.