We’ve all seen the damage hail can do to cars. In the prairie provinces, some car dealerships have tents and shelters to prevent the massive damage that even mild hailstorms can cause to their inventory. If the hail is big enough, it can damage homes, too. Houses are not as easy to protect as vehicles; after all, you probably can’t put a tent up over your house every time dark clouds roll in.
Some home components are more prone to hail damage than others:
Roof shingles, shakes and tiles
Skylights
Flashing, chimneys and eavestroughs
Depending on the strength of the wind, hail can also come down at an angle. In fact, wind-driven hail is very common, and in addition to damaging a home’s roof, it can also damage siding, patios, decks and windows. Beyond the home itself, hail can wreak havoc on plants and trees. For this reason, it’s important to be mindful of old, weak or large branches which extend over your home and could break off when loaded with enough hail.