IBHS Joins Nation's Largest Hail Study in 40 Years as ICECHIP Launches with Media Field Day

When: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Media-Only Access: 1:00–2:00 PM MT
Public Event: 2:00–4:00 PM MT
Where: Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) Facility - 4820 63rd St., Boulder, CO 80301 – Northeast side of building

BOULDER, Colo., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Science Foundation-funded ICECHIP project—"In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains"—invites members of the media to an exclusive Media Field Day to kick off the largest hail-focused field campaign in the U.S. in more than 40 years.

The ICECHIP Media Field Day will provide firsthand access to live weather demonstrations, storm-tracking tools and interviews with leading atmospheric scientists. The project brings together 15 U.S. institutions and four international partners to study hailstorms across the Central Plains and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Hail is the most consistently damaging hazard associated with severe thunderstorms, generating over $35 billion in losses in the U.S. last year alone and affecting homeowners, businesses, aviation, agriculture, transportation and more. This six-week field campaign aims to transform the understanding of hail by collecting unprecedented field data - advancing hail detection, improving forecast models and strengthening public warning systems.

MEDIA FIELD DAY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Exclusive media access from 1:00–2:00 PM MT
  • One-on-one questions and interviews with Scientists and team experts
• Live public demonstrations from 2:00–4:00 PM MT featuring:
  • Opening remarks and project overview (2:00–2:15 PM MT)
  • Weather balloon launch
  • Doppler on Wheels (DOW) vehicles and mobile mesonets
  • Hail measurement systems
  • Radiometers and UAS (large drones)
• Online Media Kit: https://www.eol.ucar.edu

Where ICECHIP Goes: The mobile research campaign will continue through June 30th, 2025, and span hail-prone regions across the Plains gathering observations on a wide variety of hailstorms.

Principal Investigators 
Rebecca Adams-Selin Atmospheric and Environmental Research (Lead PI)
John Allen Central Michigan University
Victor Gensini Northern Illinois University
Andrew Heymsfield National Center for Atmospheric Research

Steering Committee
Brian Argrow University of Colorado Boulder
Ian Giammanco Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
Karen Kosiba University of Alabama Huntsville
Matthew Kumjian Pennsylvania State University
Joshua Wurman University of Alabama Huntsville

For a full list of collaborators and partners, click here.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER)