They start dark, they grow dangerous and their severe winds, bolts of lightning and resulting flash flooding can quickly turn deadly. Our pets sense their pending arrival long before we see the lightning flashes, or hear the thunder. How can that be? Lightning sets off long reaching static electricity that… Read more »
High winds can severely affect people and property. And not just a little bit. In the 1800’s relentless plains winds drove prairie settlers plumb crazy. Californians today experience hot, dry Santa Ana winds that whip wildfires to roaring frenzies. The ceaseless middle eastern scirocco, a Mediterranean wind that comes from… Read more »
Thankfully, lightning strikes have become less common than other types of calamities befalling home and commercial property owners such as wind, hail, fire or flood damage. Yet, they do rate highest in terms of property damage expense and therefore insurance claim totals. So it’s still essential to know how to… Read more »
Worldwide at any given moment, about 2,000 thunderstorms are growling, blowing, flashing and pouring across diverse global landscapes. Closer to home, Ontario has the highest thunderstorm frequency in Canada with a modest 30 to 35 yearly. The United States, however, wins this continental weather contest by a landslide: more than… Read more »
Summer storms are becoming increasingly intense, lashing homes and businesses with drenching rains, high winds, lightning strikes and flash flooding. Hail, too, is becoming more frequent and damaging, as Calgary discovered painfully in June of 2020. A 20-minute hailstorm – hailstones the size of tennis balls, pounded structures, dented vehicles… Read more »
On a warm night in June, a violent tornado spun through Richmond, Indiana. Its narrow but very destructive path severely damaged the community’s mall. Nearly 80 percent of the mall interior was drenched, with portions of the roof missing and windows shattered. Dislodged air handling units had rolled across the… Read more »
Alabama headlines the weather news often. Severe storms roll through very regularly and Alabama residents are familiar with blue tarps covering missing roofs, displaced neighbors and ongoing construction. The state sits squarely in the very active “Dixie Alley” tornado risk zone, accompanied by Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia. A Northern… Read more »
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is sounding alarms about a very active 2022 hurricane forecast, the seventh consecutive year of higher-than-normal activity. NOAA expects between 14 and 21 named storms, three to six of which will morph into major hurricanes. The intensity is fueled by several climate factors:… Read more »
Annually, hundreds of people die and many more suffer serious property damage due to “wind-related tree failures” that accompany extreme weather like thunderstorms, derechos, hurricanes and tornadoes. “Tree failures are particularly likely if strong wind follows a saturating storm,” comments Wayne Merlino, Owner, Paul Davis of Palatine, Illinois. “But it’s… Read more »
The thunderous lightning crack temporarily deafened the Andersons. Plunged into darkness as the power failed, the shocked couple rushed upstairs to check on their children. Family members were frightened but unharmed. Their house, on the other hand? It needed an immediate hand from Paul Davis: shingles littered the lawn and… Read more »