When Mother Nature hurls ice from the sky, scientists catch it (well, sort of). However, they don’t use nets or buckets, but instead rely on a surprisingly low-tech tool: the hailpad. A hailpad is a super simple but effective way for meteorologists and researchers to study hailstorms.

It typically consists of nothing more than a square or rectangular piece of Styrofoam or dense foam covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. When hailstones fall and strike the surface, they leave behind distinct dents or impressions, providing valuable information about the size, shape, and density of the hail.

Hailpads are often deployed in networks across storm-prone regions, especially in areas where hail damage is a significant concern, such as the central U.S. After a storm passes, scientists collect the pads and analyze the impact marks to estimate the maximum hailstone size and sometimes even the terminal velocity of the hail. This physical evidence can be used to verify radar data, improve hail detection algorithms, and also help our understanding of storm structure and severity.

Hailpads are especially useful in areas without human observers or where radar coverage may be limited. Unlike traditional observations, which often rely on someone visually estimating hail size, hailpads provide objective, physical measurements.

And guess what? You can even make your own hailpad right here!

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.