Hailstones develop in the lower portion of storm clouds and typically come along with heavy rain. Erratic and strong winds keep water droplets up in the clouds where they form and freeze together, eventually falling to the ground un-melted at speeds up to 90 miles per hour. This is bad news for exposed cars, unprepared roofs, and those of us left outside and in the crossfire.
Though more common and predictable in some areas over others, nearly every state in the U.S. has experienced at least one notable hail storm. Reaching up to the size of a softball, the risks of hail storms aren’t hard to understand — but brute force is only part of the danger. In 2017, 11 million properties were damaged from hail and nationally amassed a cost of $1.7 billion in property damage and $60 million worth of crops were destroyed. The rate of damage paired with the unpredictability of hail makes it difficult to prepare for and tricky to insure.
New options for assessing risk, preventing damage, and monitoring properties are made possible thanks to IoT and AI. Used by consumers and insurance providers alike, these pieces of tech may not be able to prevent hail storms, but can help us be more prepared than ever to withstand the damage.
