Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Mastercraft Exteriors Blogging About How Hail Forms and Damage St Louis

Hail Formation by Mastercraft Exteriors 

(via weatherunderground.com)


Hail is a form of frozen precipitation that's created by strong thunderstorms with fast updrafts—air being pulled upward into a thunderstorm. It can cause serious damage, especially to cars, aircraft, glass-roofed structures, and most notably, farmers' crops. Hail causes approximately $1 billion in property and crop damage each year. The costliest hailstorm happened in April 2001, from eastern Kansas to southwest Illinois, including the St. Louis area. Property damage in this storm exceeded $2.4 billion in 2010 dollars. Deaths from hail are rare—the last known death caused by hail in the U.S. was in the year 2000, when a man was killed by softball size hail in Fort Worth, Texas.

Hail Formation




Hail Formation
 Hail is formed when very strong thunderstorm updrafts meet supercooled water droplets. Supercooled water droplets are liquid water drops that are surrounded by air that is below freezing, and they're a common occurrence in thunderstorms. There are two methods of hail stone formation and growth that give hail stones their "layered" look.

 

Wet Growth

A tiny ice crystal will be the nucleus of the hail stone. In wet growth, supercooled water droplets collide with and spreads across the ice nucleus. Since this process is relatively slow (slower than the dry growth process) it results in a layer of clear ice.

Dry Growth

Unlike wet growth, the supercooled water meets the ice nucleus and immediately freezes. Because this process is so fast, everything within the supercooled droplet, including small air bubbles, freezes into the layer, which gives it a cloudy look.
Rain and hail is what creates the "bounded" portion of the bounded weak echo region (BWER) on radar. The weak echo region is created by a strong updraft, which also helps the hail to grow.
    1. Hail forms and is carried upward through the storm by the updraft and held above the freezing line 2. The hail stone collides with supercooled droplets and grows in size 3. When the hail becomes too large and heavy to be supported by the updraft, it falls to the ground

    Hail has done major damage to St Louis, MO Homes

    Several areas like St Louis, MO, Southern IL, Kansas, Minnesota, and parts of Ohio all were damaged by the recent storms.  What does this mean when hail hits your home? Hail can make very noticeable damage to cars, windows, siding, etc. But when it comes to your roof, you will need a professional to look at the damage.  Once a shingle is compromised, the  shingle will not protect your home like it should.  The granules will be worn off causing major interior damage if left alone.  
In summary home owners who think they may have suffered storm damage should:
  • Look for visible water damage inside your home.
  • Look for damage to your roof's shingles that may compromise the effective life of your roof.
  • If necessary, contact your insurance agent and file a claim.
  • Consult a local roofing contractor trained in Roof Hail Damage to represent your interests.
Mastercraft Exteriors is a National Roofing Company with an A+ rating with the BBB. With over 42 locations throughout the USA and have been in business since 1996, Mastercraft Exteriors should be your choice in roofing repairs. 

Mastercraft Exteriors is one of 2 National Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractors in the United States. Winning the Owens Corning Proficiency award in 2011 and 2012. 
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Mastercraft Exteriors
(877) ROOFS-02