Answer: The shift in winds from southwest to northwest and the onset of heavy rains and hail in Albany, New York is most likely caused by the arrival of a cold front. A cold front is a boundary between a mass of cold air and a mass of warm air, and it typically moves in the direction of the prevailing winds. As the cold front advances, it pushes the warm air ahead of it, causing the temperature to drop and the moisture in the warm air to condense and form precipitation. The change in wind direction is due to the shift in air masses, with the cold air from the north and west replacing the warm air from the south and west. This is a common weather phenomenon that can lead to sudden changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns.