内容摘要：This may seem like a losing battle in modern society, but there are steps we can take to help.

This may seem like a losing battle in modern society, but there are steps we can take to help.

This is not just a bunch of scientists looking for an adrenaline rush or another sequel to the movie “Twister.” It’s serious science research into weather that damages a lot of crops in the Midwest, Gensini said. Hail damage is so costly that the insurance industry is helping to pay for the mission, which is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation.“These are the stones that do the most damage to lives and property,” Gensini said. “We want the biggest hail possible.”

found that as the world warms from human-caused climate change, small hailstones will become less likely while the larger ones become more common. The bigger, more damaging ones that the ICECHIP team is studying are projected to increase 15% to 75% this century depending on how much the world warms. That’s because the stronger updrafts in storms would keep stones aloft longer to get bigger, but the heat would melt the tinier ones.An approaching storm and rain shaft is visible during a Project ICECHIP operation Tuesday, June 3, 2025, near Tipton, Okla. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An approaching storm and rain shaft is visible during a Project ICECHIP operation Tuesday, June 3, 2025, near Tipton, Okla. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The experiment is unique because of the combination of driving into the hail and deploying numerous radars and weather balloons to get an overall picture of how the storms work, Gensini said, adding that hail is often overlooked because researchers have considered it a lower priority than otherOutside scientists said the research mission looks promising because there are a lot of unanswered questions about hail. Hail is the No. 1 reason for soaring costs in billion-dollar weather disasters in the United States, said meteorologist Jeff Masters, who cofounded Weather Underground and is now at Yale Climate Connections.

Victor Gensini, Northern Illinois University meteorology professor and a lead scientist of Project ICECHIP, right, and Logan Bundy, PhD Candidate at NIU and ICECHIP IOP assistant, left, stand at the command vehicle watching an approaching storm Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Scotland, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Victor Gensini, Northern Illinois University meteorology professor and a lead scientist of Project ICECHIP, right, and Logan Bundy, PhD Candidate at NIU and ICECHIP IOP assistant, left, stand at the command vehicle watching an approaching storm Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Scotland, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health.

Muslim pilgrims enter the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)Muslim pilgrims enter the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

This year, temperatures at the Hajj are expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).is typically about 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), just 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) away from catastrophe in the form of heatstroke.