Significant Hail Parameter (SHiP)Significant Hail Parameter (SHiP)
The Sig. Hail Parameter (SHIP) was developed using a large database of surface-modified, observed severe hail
proximity soundings. It is based on 5 parameters, and is meant to delineate between SIG (>=2" diameter) and
NON-SIG (<2" diameter) hail environments.
SHIP = [(MUCAPE j/kg) * (Mixing Ratio of MU PARCEL g/kg) * (700-500mb LAPSE RATE c/km) * (-500mb TEMP C) *
(0-6km Shear m/s) ] / 44,000,000
It is important to note that SHIP is NOT a forecast hail size.
Developed in the same vein as the STP and SCP parameters, values of SHIP greater than 1.00 indicate a favorable
environment for SIG hail. Values greater than 4 are considered very high. In practice, maximum contour values
of 1.5-2.0 or higher will typically be present when SIG hail is going to be reported.
