Why can a small shift toward larger hail raise damage so much?

Answer: Bigger stones hit harder

Small stones are sharper — No. Small hail can sting and accumulate, but sharpness is not the main damage lever. Larger stones carry more mass and can reach damaging fall speeds, so roofs, cars and crops care a lot about diameter. A decline in small hail does not cancel a rise in destructive hail.

Bigger stones hit harder ✓ — Correct. Damage is not just about how many hailstones fall; it depends strongly on size and impact. NSSL says quarter-size hail, about 1 inch, is already severe, while 2- to 4-inch hail can fall roughly 44-72 mph and very large stones may exceed 100 mph. That is why a shift toward larger stones can lift damage potential so much.

Rain cancels impacts — No. Rain does not cancel the impact energy of ice chunks. In severe storms, rain and hail can coexist, but the hard ice still hits exposed surfaces. The useful scale clue is that official severe-hail thresholds begin around quarter size, long before grapefruit-size headlines.