Are hail storms a big problem in Dallas? (San Antonio, Arlington: homeowners insurance, home)

[CUDavidBanner]

Sorry, that I can't reproduce the source article. But, I read an article a few months back that essentially said Dallas is the hail capitol of the U.S.
And, do not be surprised if you come outside one morning to a car with a busted windshield and dents. The article didn't paint a picture of hail storms everyday, but it did say that it happens and more often than most areas.

Any truth to this? And anyone with any experiences with this issue?

Thanks

[FarNorthDallas]

Yes, now hail storms are way more common than tornados. I've been in many many hail storms and have never seen a tornado. The biggest damage is to your car and the roof of your home. It's best to get your car under cover for a hail storm. Since our garage is already full of other vehicles, I drive to a nearby bank garage (as do hundreds of other people) when a hail storm is coming. Usually you have warning. The last time I did this (last year) the city of Richardson was sounding its a emergency sirens and I had plenty of warning to protect my car. It can hurt to get hit by hail so you want to stay undercover too, but it is fun to collect. It looks like snow sometimes.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by CUDavidBanner

Sorry, that I can't reproduce the source article. But, I read an article a few months back that essentially said Dallas is the hail capitol of the U.S.
And, do not be surprised if you come outside one morning to a car with a busted windshield and dents. The article didn't paint a picture of hail storms everyday, but it did say that it happens and more often than most areas.

Any truth to this? And anyone with any experiences with this issue?

Thanks

Sounds way overstated to me... there have been instances over the years... but never all over the metroplex even when it has happened.

Check this site for all historical storm events: NCDC Storm Events-Select State

[lajollaeleven]

You must be from California or the Northeast or you would be aware of weather patterns of the rest of America.

[tcs]

We moved here from San Antonio in 1989. In that time we had one major hail event that broke 18 window sections on the front of our home. What a night that was. We live by Lake Arlington and that really been the extent of hail for us.

[king's highway]

I've owned a home in Dallas for almost 20 years
and only had to replace a roof once because of
hail damage. Most homeowners insurance will
pay for this.

[galore]

One of my cars was heavily damaged by a severe hailstorm in spring of 2003.
Another one of my cars was damaged by a severe hailstorm in spring of 2005.

Hail happens almost every spring in DFW but damaging hail is very localized.

[kittytoes2006]

I, like Galore, have had to replace a couple of windshields in my 49 years, but it isn't like it happens all the time. I have seen one hailstorm back in or around 1996, that was absolutely bizarre. I promise you...the hailstones were as large as baseballs. We kept one of them in the freezer for a couple of years just because we couldn't believe the size of it. With all that said, yes, they do happen, but not every year and it is localized when it does happen.

[lh_newbie]

My brother and my parents both had new roofs due to hail damage.

Hail storms typically have small hail that just looks wild and doesn't cause damage. In the scenario there is damaging hail, it's usually limited to a very small area.

Brian

[MaryS80]

They are somewhat common, fortunately smaller hail stones are much more common than the large ones. At best it will happen once or twice a year, almost always in the spring. I've only seen larger than marble sized hail a couple times.

I think it was around 1999 or 2000 that parts of Garland got hit with really large baseball sized hail. Needless to say it did significant damage, and local roofers were back logged fro nearly a year.