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Understanding Thunderstorm Damage | SERVPRO® of Kingston/New Paltz
7/5/2019 (Permalink)
Don't underestimate the power of thunderstorms!
Thunderstorms are not uncommon occurrences during the summer months in the Hudson Valley. However, with these storms comes a chance for storm damage caused by those severe thunderstorms.
How familiar are you with the different types of damage that thunderstorms can cause?
Within the United States, there are typically around 100,000 thunderstorms per year with 10% of those that are considered severe. This is just a small portion of the estimated 16 million thunderstorms each year that occur worldwide.
Thunderstorms require three components to form—moisture, rising air, and a “lifting” mechanism caused by either hills or mountains that force air to rise, or where warm/cold or wet/dry air bump together, causing a rising motion. This is why you often hear meteorologists reference when cold and warm fronts are about to intersect, creating dangerous conditions.
The lifetime of a thunderstorm includes three stages, including the formation, the mature phase and the dissipation. The mature phase is when most danger and damage occur.
Thunderstorms can create many different dangerous situations that can occur during a thunderstorm, but debris flying around due to high winds is among the most dangerous to both property and humans.
Wind speeds can gust in a severe thunderstorm up to and over 57.5 mph. That is enough to cause damage to your property.
If you have anything in your yard that’s not secured, including things like bikes or trash cans, those items can become projectiles quickly, causing damage to houses and personal injuries.
Thunderstorms can also produce the following damage besides wind damage:
Lightning damage. When lightning strikes a building, electricity moves through the wiring of the home. This can lead to appliances blowing out, along with an increased risk of fire.
Tornado damage. Consider this—the average storm has winds around 60 mph. The wind in a tornado can gust upward of 200 mph, which can wreak some serious havoc.
Hail damage. Did you know that according to NOAA, the cost of hail damage can reach $1 billion a year?
Flood damage. During storms, a lot of rain often falls in a small amount of time. This can make it impossible for the water to soak into the earth, leaving pools of water everywhere. This flash flooding can have dangerous consequences.
If a thunderstorm has resulted in damage to your home or business, know that the team at SERVPRO® of Kingston/New Paltz is available 24⁄7 to help with cleanup and restoration.