A hailstorm that set a record for the largest hailstone ever found in Canada brought one of Alberta’s busiest highways to a halt northeast of Innisfail last week as it levelled crops and damaged farmhouses in Red Deer County. It knocked out windshields and set off airbags in vehicles travelling on Highway 2 near Antler […] Read more
Tag Archives Hail
Hail research project picks up where ‘80s studies left off
Scientists at Western University are trying to better understand the nature of hail storms in Alberta
Researchers from Western University are embarking on a project to learn more about the devastating hailstorms that can wreak havoc across Alberta. The initiative, by Western’s Northern Tornadoes Project and researcher Francis Lavigne-Theriault, plans to build a climatology database on hail events in the region. “It’s something which hasn’t been undertaken since the ‘80s,” he […] Read more
Hail losses reach near record high
It was a bad year for hail on the Prairies in 2021. According to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA), both Saskatchewan and Alberta experienced more hail losses than they have in years. Saskatchewan saw an industry loss ratio of 134 percent, a major increase over the 2020 ratio of 65 percent. In Alberta the […] Read more
Intense storm floods Alta., town, destroys crops
An intense storm of rain and hail ranging in size from peas to quarters caused flooding in Cardston, Alta., and destroyed crops as far south as the U.S. border. “There’s lots of farmers that have lost their crop — hay crop or grain crop — anywhere the hail hit,” said LeNark Duce, public works foreman […] Read more
Vicious hailstorm slams Alberta
The crops were looking good this year on Matt Sawyer’s farm near Acme, Alta. The barley went in early and was thriving. The canola was spreading its leaves. On June 13 it was gone, wiped out in a vicious storm that fired rain and hailstones, some of them baseball-sized, over a 20-minute-long siege. “All over […] Read more
Many farmers got a break from hailstorms this year
Hail caused less damage across the Prairies in 2017 than it did in 2016, according to the final report tabled Dec. 4 by the Canadian Crop Hail Association. Western Canadian farmers with hail insurance were paid $96 million on about 8,600 claims, making 2017 one of the lightest claim years since 2009, the CCHA said. […] Read more
Hail damage kept in check in August
All hail the relative absence of hail on the Prairies. That could well be the celebratory cry for farmers with the number of damaging hailstorms tracking below the five-year average, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association. In its report for August, issued Sept. 5, the CCHA listed two hailstorms of note in Alberta, two […] Read more
New hail modelling system draws mixed reviews from insurers
A new hail risk modelling system is available for Canadian crop insurers, but providers are divided over its value. AIR Worldwide recently developed the industry’s first probabilistic computer model designed to better assess hail risk in Canada. Ken Doleman, chief executive officer at Palliser Insurance, said the additional data from the AIR model will provide […] Read more
Hail claims stay above five-year average
July 21 and July 24 were notable days in Alberta. They were the only days within a two-week stretch when no hailstorms occurred in the province. But in all three prairie provinces, the number of hail claims is greater than the five-year average as reported by the Canadian Crop Hail Association. “Claim numbers are very […] Read more
Early hail season keeps adjusters hopping
Prairie hail adjusters are busy earlier than usual this year following several recent storms. “We’ve been pretty steady since June 21,” said Murray Bantle, of Regina-based Co-op Hail and chair of the Canadian Crop Hail Association. “It’s kind of been hailing every couple days whether we need it or not.” He said companies have written […] Read more
