What Damage is Caused by Different Sizes of Hail?
A hailstorm is never good news for your home, especially your roof. As the diameter of a hailstone increases, so does its potential for causing harm. A larger hailstone falls to the ground with greater velocity and impacts with greater kinetic energy, but how much do hailstone sizes truly vary? Let’s take a deeper look at hail’s destructive power.
Sizes of Hailstones and What They Can Do
The intensity of hail is measured on a scale of H0 to H10. This list is based on information from TORRO (The Tornado and Storm Research Organization, a weather research group based in the United Kingdom), and Hailstrike, a Texas weather forensics company.
Hard Hail
H0: 0.2 - 0.4 inches. Pea-sized hail. Usually does no noticeable damage.
Potentially Damaging Hail
H1: 0.2 - 0.8 inches. Mothball-sized hail. Makes holes in leaves and flowering plants.
Significant Hail
H2: 0.2 - 1.2 inches. Grape-sized hail. Strips leaves off plants, damages vegetables in gardens.
Severe Hail
H3: 0.4 - 1.8 inches. Walnut-sized hail. Breaks glass, scrapes paint and wood, dents metal, perforates tents.
H4: 0.6 - 2.4 inches. Table tennis ball-sized hail. Breaks windows, scrapes paint, kills small birds.
Destructive Hail
H5: 0.8 - 3 inches. Golf ball-sized hail. Breaks some roof tiles, dents cars, strips tree bark and cuts through branches, kills small animals.
H6: 1.2 - 3.9 inches. Jumbo egg-sized hail. Punches through roof shingles, breaks window frames, leaves scoring in metal.
H7: 1.8 - 4.9 inches. Tennis ball-sized hail. Shatters roofs, breaks window frames, does heavy damage to cars.
H8: 2.4 - 5 inches. Softball-sized hail. Shingle or tile roofs are destroyed, concrete roofs are damaged, small trees are split or knocked over, people are at risk of serious injury.
Super Hailstorm
H9: 3.2 inches and up. Grapefruit-sized hail. Concrete roofs are broken or destroyed, wooden walls are damaged, large trees are split or knocked over, people are at risk of fatal injuries.
H10: 4 inches and up. Melon-sized hail. Brick walls are damaged, wooden walls are damaged, people are at risk of fatal injuries.
As you can see, the effects of hail are not to be taken lightly. At Cloud Roofing, we’re experts in restoring hail-damaged San Antonio roofs to their working state. Restore your roof and your peace of mind by talking to our roofing experts about any kind of damage your roof has endured, and trust in our 18-point final inspection on all jobs.