Storm Recovery Resources - Storm Facts
Here are a few interesting facts about storms and storm damage. If you wish to learn a little more, please visit our storm articles page.
Hail
- Severe Thunderstorms produce hail, and hail can cause extreme damage to property. The size of hail is almost always compared to common everyday objects, like "marble sized hail", "ping pong ball sized hail", or "tennis ball sized hail" (yikes!), etc.
- The largest hailstone ever recorded was witnessed on June 22, 2003 in Aurora, NE and was 7 inches in diameter and almost 19 inches in circumference! That’s a big hailstone.
- When a severe thunderstorm that produces large hail is approaching, there is a high likelihood that a tornado can also be produced by the storm.
- Hail can damage roofs of all types and the damage may be undetectable from the ground. You should have your roof inspected by a reputable contractor after a hailstorm producing large hail has passed (we can help here.)
Tornadoes
- From 1950 to 1999 the months with the highest average number of Tornados are May (180) and June (171). For comparison, September's average is 41.
- The single month with the most recorded tornadoes was May of 2003 (with 543 recorded tornadoes!)
- Average Number of Tornadoes per Year: 910 (1950-2004)
- Wind speed in a tornado typically averages between 40 and 100 mph. But it can reach up to 300 mph.
- Tornadoes vary wildly in size – some may be only mere feet across at ground level, while others can be a mile wide.
- Like Hurricanes, Tornadoes rotate counter clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern.
- Out of all storms and weather events, tornadoes are generally capable of the most damage in terms of the immediate area struck. Although the area of effect can be quite small, tornados can literally “wipe a building off the map” with relative ease.
Hurricanes
- Hurricanes are large, tropical cyclone storms that generally form in the summer (Hurricane season is June 1 until Nov 30, with 97% of all known hurricanes coming within this timeframe.)
- Most storms form several hundred miles north of the equator. In the beginning of the season, they generally form more towards the West Atlantic, with the point of origin moving east towards Africa for August and September, and gradually moving back west.
- There are specific conditions given to these storms to determine the storm’s status:
- A Tropical Depression has sustained winds generally between 29-38 mph
- A Tropical Strom has sustained winds of 39-73 mph. This is when a storm is usually named.
- A Category 1 Hurricane has sustained winds of 74 – 95 mph
- A Category 2 Hurricane has sustained winds of 96 – 110 mph
- A Category 3 Hurricane has sustained winds of 111 – 130 mph
- A Category 4 Hurricane has sustained winds of 131- 155 mph
- A Category 5 Hurricane has sustained winds of 156+ mph
- While any storm can be dangerous, Category 3, 4, and 5 Hurricanes can cause extensive damage, and usually account for the majority of storm damage in the US on a yearly basis.
- Major Hurricanes that cause extensive damage have their names retired (Camille, Katrina, etc)
- A Hurricane can produce all manner of storm damage, from winds to floods to tornadoes to hail.
- A Hurricane and a Typhoon are the same type of storm. The term “Hurricane” is generally used east of the International Date Line, and “Typhoon” is used west of it.
Floods
- Floods are caused by both obvious reasons (you live near the river) and not-so-obvious reasons (a levee or dam gave way). While one can eliminate much of the risk of flood damage by moving their business to higher ground, this is often impractical (and truly, if you really think about it, no place on earth is totally safe.)
- Flooding is particularly catastrophic because in many cases, typical insurance does not cover flooding. In addition, even though they are “close enough” to water, most people that experience flooding did not think it could happen to them.
- Another aspect to flooding is extensive cleanup. Flood damage carries all manner of environmental and health concerns, as sewage and/or chemicals are often a part of floodwaters. Cleanup needs to be done by someone with experience in flood recovery.
- Mold and the like are also byproducts of flood damage. Any flood rebuilding effort needs to take this into consideration. Again, All-Tex can help you with this.
We often include additional storm facts and tips in our newsletter. Click here to signup.