Short answers, pulled from the story.
A hailstone measures at least 5 millimeters in diameter to be officially classified as such. This threshold distinguishes it from ice pellets, often called sleet in American English, which are smaller and translucent.
The United States National Weather Service adopted a 1-inch diameter threshold for severe hail effective January 2010. Before that date, the threshold was set at 3/4 inch.
Hail occurs most frequently within continental interiors at mid-latitudes rather than tropical regions despite higher thunderstorm frequency there. Mountain ranges intensify updrafts through orographic lifting, making hail more common along elevations like northern India.
Hail caused $46 billion in damage to cars roofs and crops in the United States alone during 2023 according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Aircraft suffer serious damage within seconds when struck by stones exceeding 2 centimeters diameter.
The largest recorded hailstone measured 7 inches in diameter with 48 centimeters circumference falling in Vivian South Dakota the 23rd of July 2010. Another record shows 6.1 inch diameter from Aurora Nebraska the 22nd of June 2003.