Context: 

Hailstorms flattened crops in north Maharashtra region recently, while unseasonal rain delivered a blow to wheat farmers in Madhya Pradesh. 

About Hailstorm:

• A hailstorm is a thunderstorm that produces ice as precipitation. Unlike other forms of water ice precipitation, such as graupel (which is made of rime ice), ice pellets (which are smaller and translucent), and snow (which consists of tiny, delicately-crystalline flakes or needles), hailstones usually measure between 5 mm (0.2 in) and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter.
• Hail is possible within most thunderstorms (as it is produced by cumulonimbus), as well as within 2 nmi (3.7 km) of the parent storm.
• Hail formation requires environments of strong, upward motion of air with the parent thunderstorm (similar to tornadoes) and lowered heights of the freezing level.
• In the mid-latitudes, hail forms near the interiors of continents, while, in the tropics, it tends to be confined to high elevations.
• Hailstorms can cause serious damage to crops and property.
• In India, hailstorms mostly affect the northeast and western Himalayas, with the maximum strikes in March and April.

Source: The Hindu