Which one of the following statement with reference to hailstones is NOT correct?

Statement 3 is incorrect because it describes the formation of sleet, not hailstones. Sleet forms when raindrops or partially melted snow fall through a warmer layer aloft and then refreeze into ice pellets in a subfreezing layer near the surface [3]. In contrast, hailstones form within dense cumulonimbus clouds when strong updrafts carry raindrops into extremely cold, subfreezing upper regions of the atmosphere [1][3][4]. Regarding other options, hailstones are indeed associated with cumulonimbus clouds [1][4] and typically exhibit multiple concentric layers of ice due to repeated circulation above and below the freezing level [1][2][4][5]. In the Indian context, hailstorms are practically absent during the monsoon season, as they are more frequent in pre-monsoon summer months when atmospheric instability is high [2]. Therefore, the mechanism described in option 3 is the defining characteristic of sleet rather than hail.

Sources

1. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 24: Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) > Precipitation > p. 338
2. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 25: Thunderstorm > 25.5. Hailstorm > p. 351
3. [4] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate of India > Hail > p. 30
4. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > Tunderstorms and Hails in India > p. 52
5. [5] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: Water in the Atmosphere > Precipitation > p. 88