Which cloud type is most associated with severe hail production?

Cumulonimbus clouds are the type most associated with severe hail production. These towering, vertical clouds can reach significant heights and are capable of creating strong updrafts and downdrafts, which are essential for the formation of hail. Within a cumulonimbus cloud, water droplets can be lifted high into the colder regions of the atmosphere, where they freeze and grow larger as they collide with other droplets. When these hailstones become heavy enough, they overcome the updrafts and fall to the ground as hail.

Cumulonimbus clouds are often linked to severe thunderstorms, which are conditions conducive to the development of hail due to the high levels of moisture, strong winds, and instability associated with these systems. Other cloud types, while they may contain moisture, do not exhibit the extreme vertical development and associated dynamics needed for the formation of large hail. For instance, stratus and nimbo-stratus clouds typically produce steady, light precipitation rather than severe weather phenomena. Cumulus clouds can develop into larger storm clouds but do not inherently have the severe weather characteristics that cumulonimbus clouds possess.