May through September strikes fear in every front range Colorado resident…It’s hail season time. Did you know that the front range is called “Hail Alley” because of the frequency and intensity of the hail storms in this area?
During hail season, the entire region can expect to see several intense storms with hail sizes between ½ inch and 1 inch being hurled down. Plus, as many Denver residents already know, the metro and surrounding area are often affected the worst, sometimes seeing large hail over an inch in diameter.
If you’ve lived here for any length of time, you know that these reports are not exaggerated. The storms are intense and cause a lot of hail damage to cars and more every year. We can expect to have 3 or 4 catastrophic level hail storms every year. Catastrophic is defined as causing at least $25 million in insured damages. The hail storm in May crossed the $1 billion mark all on its own. YIKES!
At Rocky Mountain Dent Services, we’ve seen the aftermath of hail storms rolling through Denver. Give us a call, and one of our consultants will walk you through the options you have for fixing your car we can even help with all the insurance claim paperwork!
Why are Ice Rocks (Hail) falling from the sky?
Hail is frozen rain that can range from small pellets to large balls of ice, golf ball size and up.
How Big Does Hail Get?
Generally, hail ranges from pea-sized to marble-sized (about ¼ inch to ½ inch). This type of hail is not too dangerous and causes repairable hail damage. However, hail in our area can easily start getting over an inch in diameter, which is usually when it starts causing damage and can get up to around 4 ½ inches in diameter. Hail that large is quite serious and is extremely dangerous to people (and of course cars).
How is Hail Made?
Water condenses and freezes around specks of dust or something similar high up in the atmosphere. The one little drop of water with which it starts begins colliding with other drops of water and freezing them on contact, thus growing larger.
Thunderstorms have strong updrafts that can either maintain a piece of hail in relatively the same spot or cause it to travel up and down within the cloud. Regardless of which method forms the hailstone, once it gets so heavy that the storm can no longer maintain it up in the sky, it falls to earth. With strong updrafts, hail can grow to a surprisingly large size before hurtling down towards earth to strike anything in its path and put hail dents in your vehicle.
If hail is in the forecast, try to get your vehicle to a covered space as quickly as possible. But, if you do get stuck out in a storm, know that Rocky Mountain Dent Services has a paintless dent repair option that is both economical and efficient at restoring your vehicle to its previous condition. Call us today for more information!