Different Damage That Can Be Done by Thunderstorms | SERVPRO® of Santa Clarita Valley

7/3/2019 (Permalink)

Hail like this can be extremely destructive and vary tremendously in size.

The warmer spring and summer months are prime time for thunderstorms to develop, which means there is an added worry of storm damage.

Do you know what some of the most prevalent types of storm damage are?

The Lowdown on Storms

Across the globe, we see an average of 16 million thunderstorms yearly. Here in the U.S., we normally have some 100,000 thunderstorm occurrences each year, and out of those, around 10% can be classified as severe.

In order for a thunderstorm to develop, certain conditions must be met, such as moisture and rising unstable air that is accompanied by a “lifting” mechanism caused by either hills or mountains that force air to rise, or where warm/cold or wet/dry air bump together, causing a rising motion.

There are three stages to thunderstorms:

• the developing stage
• the mature stage
• the dissipating stage

You will find things like heavy rain, hail, lightning, high winds and even tornadoes come around during the mature state.

Thunderstorm Damage

While there are many different aspects that can turn dangerous during a thunderstorm, a top safety risk is the opportunity for high winds to send debris flying.

Wind speeds/gusts in a severe thunderstorm can exceed 57.5 mph, and this is plenty of speed to create damage.

Even the items in your yard that would seem the most harmless can turn into projectiles. Tree branches, gravel, mailboxes, fencing, lawn furniture, potted plants and garbage cans are all possible projectiles during a high wind situation. You should take care to make sure items in your yard are secured prior to any thunderstorms rolling through.

There are many other types of damage thunderstorms can create besides wind damage:

Lightning. If lightning strikes your home, expect to need some new electrical systems. The lightning can pass through your home’s wiring and not only become a fire risk, but also damage anything that is plugged in.

Tornado. Anything that can reach upward of 200 mph wind speeds is a force to be reckoned with. Tornadoes can cause a large amount of damage over a large area in little time at all.

Hail. Did you know that per to NOAA, the cost of hail damage can top out at $1 billion a year? This includes damage to crops, vehicles and structures.

Flood. Storms often bring on heavy rains, and those heavy rains can result in flooding. Flash floods can do much damage and be strong enough to wash things away.

If a thunderstorm has resulted in damage to your home or business, know that the team at SERVPRO® of Santa Clarita Valley is available ²⁴⁄₇ to help with cleanup and restoration.