Thunderstorms can obviously cause significant wind damage, but when you bring hail into the equation, updraft strength means that it actually falls from a certain area in the sky. Let’s take a look at some of the different sizes/classifications of hail.
Pea sized hail is .25” in diameter and it falls at 35 miles per hour. Getting a bit larger than that is quarter sized hail, which is about 1” in diameter and falls at 40 miles per hour. Next up is golf ball sized hail, which is 1.75” and falls at 64 miles per hour. It gets even bigger than that: baseball sized hail has a diameter of 2.75” and falls at 81 miles per hour. (You can get a ticket for driving that fast.)
Teacup hail is 3” in diameter and drops at 85 miles per hour. Next is softball sized hail, which is 4.5” in diameter and drops at over 100 miles per hour. (103 mph, to be exact. You wouldn’t want to be outside if hail this big is falling down.) The biggest hailstone ever found was located in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23rd, 2010. It was a piece with a diameter of 8 inches . It weighed 2 pounds, and was approximately the size of a soccer ball. Put a soccer ball next to your head and think about what would happen if you were outside during a storm like that. Imagine the kind of damage a soccer ball sized hailstone could do to your roof.
If you have any questions about hail and how it pertains to your roof system, or give us a call at (602) 892-9885.
