Colorado is the LEADING State for Hail Storms

Colorado is one of the top states for hail storms and hail damage. State Farm, one of the largest auto insurers in the state and country, described in their annual hail report that Colorado has surpassed other states in hail damage, as there have been "42,414 claims totaling in $218 million for damage to vehicles" within the last year (Heilman, 2019). But that is no surprise, as Colorado is part of what is known as ‘Hail Alley’ which receives the most severe hail storms than any other part of the country. We can thank our high elevation for this, as the hail does not have as much distance where it can melt and become rain again before falling back onto the ground (Gardener, 2019). Below is a video describing Colorado's record size hail.

Are Colorado Hail Storms Getting Worse?

The bad news is that it has been predicted that Colorado’s hail storms and damage will only get worse in the years to come. Researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research predicted that there will be stronger thunderstorms as the climate changes which will "favor an increase in larger hailstone sizes, since stronger thunderstorms allow the hail to be cycled through the cloud layer for a longer time" (Childs, 2018).

This trend of larger hail sizes has already begun though, as the new largest hail size, a whopping 4.83 inch in diameter hailstone, was documented in Colorado in August of 2019 (Bianchi, 2019). Overall, we should expect the worst in years to come for hail storm frequency and hail damage.

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How to Stay Safe During a Hail Storm

Hail storms are dangerous and can cause fatal injuries to people, while also damaging our homes, crops, and vehicles. While most hail storms only contain quarter and even nickel or dime sized hail, it is never safe to be outside during a hail storm. The priority during a hail storm should always be taking care of yourself by getting indoors ASAP, all you can do is endure the storm.

It can be very dangerous to be caught driving in a hail storm so avoid this at all costs. If you are stuck driving in a hail storm you should pull over and find cover as soon as possible. As you could imagine driving at 60 mph only adds that much more force to every hail stone that hits your vehicle. These conditions may bring your vehicle beyond repair and put you in an unsafe position.

Here is a short video to help prepare, as some tips might not be as obvious as you might think.

Most of the time however, there are signs of a hail storm such as dark green tinted clouds or a drastic temperature change before the storm rolls in. If you are able to predict a hail storm from these methods or informed ahead of time you are able to take certain precautions. Your car is an easy one, if you are not able to park it inside, throw a blanket or similar cushion over your car to lessen the impact of hail. For your home, or crops, being a much larger scale, it is hard to protect the extent of your assets.

We are Here for YOU

Overall, we should expect the worst in years to come for hail storm frequency and hail damage. The good news though, the experts at DentPassPlus can take care of all your automobile hail damage needs through paintless dent repair. We can’t change the weather, but we can assure you that we will make repairing your vehicles from hail damage as fast, easy, and convenient as possible for you!

For information on how to start your auto hail repair process watch the following video or give us a call!