Hail Damage to My Grovetown Home! Help?

4/6/2022 (Permalink)

What Is Hail Exactly?  

Hail is a form of precipitation that is made up of solid ice. Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried upwards by a thunderstorm into cold areas of atmosphere where they then freeze. Hailstones will then grow by fusing with liquid water droplets that freeze on the stone’s surface. If water freezes instantly when the water collides with it, ‘cloudy’ ice will form as air bubbles become trapped in the newly formed ice. Alternatively, if the water freezes slowly air bubbles won’t become trapped, leaving the ice clear. Hail begins to fall when the thunderstorm’s updraft can no longer support the weight of the hailstones inside of it.  

What is an updraft? An updraft is an upward current of air. 

The color that a hailstone takes is entirely dependent upon the amount of water the stone encounters and the temperature inside of the thunderstorm. Winds inside a thunderstorm are not moving just up and down, meaning that horizontal winds play a part in the many layers of a hailstone. Hailstones don’t grow from being thrown to the top of a thunderstorm. At higher altitudes, air is cold enough that all liquid water will freeze into ice, hailstones however need ample liquid water to grow to a decent size.  

 
How Can I Protect My Home from Hail Damage? 

The first step you can take to ensure your home isn’t damaged by hail is to make sure that your roof is in good condition. Make sure you are periodically checking your roof of any wear and tear or replace shingles when necessary.  

If your roof does need to be replaced, it’s always best to select a steep-sloped roof as it protects from hail damage more efficiently.  

You can also protect your home by choosing hail-resistant siding. Selecting fiber-cement siding is proven to be a lot more resistant to hail.  

Make sure that during a hailstorm any loose lawn décor, are put away in a safe place. Cars are in a garage or under a covered area. Be sure to keep blinds closed and drapes down in case hard impact hail breaks a window. Doing these steps will prevent any injury from loose, broken glass due to a hailstorm.  

Water Damage Caused to Your Home Due to an Unsuspected Hailstorm? Call SERVPRO® of Columbia County at 706-868-5441 and our professional crews will make it "Like it never even happened®."