Damage Caused By Thunderstorms

7/8/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of North Huntington is here to make storm damage "Like it never even happened."

How Thunderstorms Form

There are an estimated 16 million thunderstorms annually throughout the world. In the United States, the number of thunderstorms typically comes to approximately 100,000 per year—10% of those are considered severe.

There are certain conditions that are necessary for a storm to develop. There must be moisture and rising unstable air, as well as a “lifting” mechanism that forces air to rise, or where warm/cold or wet/dry air bump together, causing a rising motion.

A thunderstorm’s life cycle takes three distinct stages: the developing stage, the mature stage and the dissipating stage. The mature stage is where you’ll find hail, heavy rain, strong winds, and even tornadoes occurring.

Various Types of Damage

There are plenty of parts of a thunderstorm that can prove to be dangerous, but one of the most serious risks is the opportunity for winds to send debris flying.

Wind speeds during severe thunderstorms can reach over 57.5 mph. This is more than enough speed to create chaos and damage to your property.

When there are strong winds, there is always a chance for non-threatening items to turn into a serious threat in projectile mode. These items can include tree branches, gravel, mailboxes, fencing, lawn furniture, potted plants and garbage cans. Take some time to check on and secure these items in your yard before any thunderstorms come rolling into town.

Thunderstorms are also responsible for causing the following types of damage besides wind damage:

Lightning damage. Lightning damage can be broken into two categories, fire and electrical. When lightning strikes a home, it will pass through the electrical wiring and can cause damage to any appliance that is plugged into an outlet.

Tornado damage. With wind speeds that can reach upwards of 200 mph, tornadoes are capable of causing immense amounts of damage over large areas in a limited amount of time.

Hail damage. It may come as a shock, but hail damage can top out at $1 billion annually. The smaller hail can wreak havoc on crops, and larger hail can do a fair amount of damage to homes and vehicles.

Flood damage. Since rain is common with storms, it is not shocking that heavy rains can lead to flash flooding. Occurring without warning, flash floods can cause structural damage and even rip trees out of the ground.

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