Abstract
The deuterium content (δ) of the water vapor in the air entering thunderstorms has been measured, along with that of the growth layers of hailstones from the same storms. δ may vary importantly with position as well as time in the inflow of large, multicell storms, and there is some evidence for important variation with time in a simpler storm. It appears that the potential for drawing firm, quantitative deductions from hailstone deuterium or 018 profiles is quite limited. Nevertheless, the present results and previous deuterium results agree in placing most hailstone growth in the −10 to −25°C temperature range, and in indicating surprisingly narrow altitude ranges of growth for most individual hailstones. It therefore seems probable that liquid water is usually substantially depleted above the −25°C level in hailstorms and that hailstones usually fall out of the updraft above the −10°C level. Hailstone embryo formation is usually at ii lower level than the growth of the bulk of the hailstones.
