Producing golf-ball sized hail which damaged
The hailstorm that struck Airdrie and the surrounding area on Aug. 7, 2014 comes in at seventh place.
A series of hailstorms rolled through Airdrie in the afternoon and evening, producing golf-ball sized hail which damaged many homes and vehicles. The Insurance Bureau of Canada categorized the Aug. 7, 2014 hailstorm as a “catastrophic event”, and estimates the property damage to total more than $450 million.
Damage to farmers’ crops was also substantial, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association, with more than 13,300 crop-related hail claims filed with total payouts of $250 million.
The sound of hammers has become common place in some Airdrie neighbourhoods as roofing and siding contractors work to repair the substantial damage done to some homes.
Jason Kurtz, owner and operations manager of KWR Roofing Systems Inc. in Airdrie said his phone started ringing as soon as the storm passed.
“Pretty much after the storm hit, on a Friday, our phones were ringing that night and we were having conference calls (with insurance companies) on Saturday morning,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz said he’s worked three or four different storms in Airdrie since 1991 but 2014’s is one of the worst he’s seen.
Airdrie is in the middle of what Environment Canada Meteorologist Bill McMurtry calls ‘Hail Alley,’ a corridor that stretches across west-central Alberta and includes Red Deer to Calgary.