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<br />process, an ice crystal may become an embryo for a large hailstone if there <br /> <br />is sufficient supercooled water and relatively few ice crystals upon which <br /> <br />supercooled water can impact during the collisions within the cloud. <br /> <br />The question that is faced, obviously, becomes one of ho~ bes~o <br /> <br />increase ice crystal concentration in those clouds natur~lydefic~~t in <br /> <br />them in order to initiate the precipitation process or to reduce the <br /> <br />threat ,of hail. Man's nature being what it is, searches to constrain the <br /> <br />answer to the above question in trying to "get better at what he does" <br /> <br />in treating clouds to increase these ice crystal concentrations. Over the <br /> <br />: years, WKWM has observed the systematic developments involving cloud seeding <br /> <br />and has been able to apply the research and operational results to arrive <br /> <br />at its present state. <br /> <br />There are two classifications of cloud systems that appear in southwest <br /> <br />Kansas. The two systems are responsible for producing most of the rain and <br /> <br />hail in Kansas. They are air-mass and squall line cloud systems. <br /> <br />Air-mass storms begin as isloated cloud systems that develop a well- <br /> <br />organized cloud base with an easily delineated inflow area protruding below <br /> <br />the general base of the cloud. <br /> <br />Specific cloud movements may vary widely due to individual cloud height <br /> <br />plus the changes in wind direction and speed. Terrain effects probably play <br /> <br />some role despite the relatively uniform orography of Kansas. <br /> <br />When an imaginary line is drawn through the center of the precipitation <br /> <br />area of a storm at right angles to the direction of storm movement, the <br /> <br />I <br />. <br /> <br />updraft areas behind that line. relative to the direction of storm movement, <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />is called the I~trailing" potion of the cloud, or "backside". <br /> <br />Ahead of the line is the "frontal" portions, or "front side". Updrafts <br /> <br />are sometimes found in the frontal portion of air-mass storms but is not <br /> <br />considered to be of primary importance to the formation of precipitation. <br /> <br />-6- <br /> <br />. <br />