Icy missiles can fall in the Fall, too
6:56 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2008
On September 3, 1970 the second largest hailstone on U.S. record pelted Coffeyville, Kansas with great ferocity. Fall hailstorms are not out of the question in Kansas, so now might be a good time to look over your insurance policy regarding hail, and see just how much you have to pay following the storm.
Insurance companies spend a great deal of effort studying how large hail impacts structures they insure, like cars and houses. Large hail can fall at amazingly quick speeds, sometimes being clocked at 100 mph! On impact, these stones are deadly missiles.
Most destructive hailstones are about the size of a golf-ball. But, we Kansans know even golf ball-sized hail is small compared to the icy missiles we've seen. Watch this huge hailstone hit a roof. Not only does it pop a hole in it, it actually lifts the entire shingle.
Stones of that size are small in comparison to softball-sized hail that can frequently visit the 49 viewing area.
And knowing how much damage a hailstorm can do is even more important for us here in Topeka. Our area sits smack-dab in the middle between the second largest U.S. hailstone and the first,: found back in 2003 just to our north in Aurora, Nebraska. It wasn't difficult to spot the bowling-ball-sized hailstone. Your car is just another pin to play for one of these guys.
You should contact a roofing contractor right after a hailstorm.
Even small cracks can lead to severe water damage that you may not see until months, or even years after the storm.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)