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Hailstorm Alley is a colloquial term referring to an area of south and central
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
where
hail storms are frequently produced. These storms frequently produce hail that is damaging to property. This area stretches from
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
in southern Alberta, northward through
Calgary, through
Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...
to
Lacombe Lacombe may refer to:
Places
* Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe County, Alberta, Canada
* Lacombe, Louisiana, United States
* Lacombe, Aude, France
People
* Albert Lacombe (1827–1916), oblate missionary to the Cree and Blackfoot
* Bernard Lac ...
and then westward to
Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...
.
It is known to be one of the worst areas in the world for damaging hail produced by thunderstorms.
These are regarded as loose boundaries. While this area is common for damaging hailstorms, the reality is damaging hailstorms occur over much of central and southern Alberta every summer. The City of Calgary is regarded as the hailstorm capital of Canada.
Examples of previous storms
In 1991, the City of Calgary experienced a storm that caused $342 million in damages. At the time, it was the most damaging hail storm in Canadian history.
Then on 12 July 2010, the City of Calgary experienced a storm that produced four-centimeter wide hailstones. This storm caused $400 million in damages, beating the previous record.
In August 2014, Hailstorm Alley experienced numerous severe storms that cost $450 million in insured damages. These storms were recorded in Calgary, Airdrie, Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House.
On June 30, 2016, a damaging storm hit the central Alberta town of Ponoka, causing $50 million in damages. This storm produced large hail as well as a tornado.
In May 2017, a damaging storm hit the central Alberta city of Lacombe, causing $68 million in damages.
[ ]
In July 2018, severe storms hit central Alberta, resulting in $80 million in damages.
On June 13, 2020, a severe storm hit the Cities of Calgary and Airdrie causing extensive damage and flash flooding. The damages have been calculated at around $1.5 billion making this the 4th costliest natural disaster in Canadian history.
Cloud seeding and insurers
In 1996, insurance companies formed the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society and began the Alberta Hail Suppression Project. This project uses cloud seeding techniques to lessen the severity of hail storms. This society had budgeted $2.5 million in 2012 to run the suppression project, with the potential to save insurers many times this amount during one single storm by reducing claims. Cloud seeding has never been statistically proven to work.
See also
*
Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is a loosely defined area of the central United States where tornadoes are most frequent. The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to study severe weather in areas of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Where is the Canadian 'hail storm alley'?at
The Weather Network
The Weather Network (TWN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language, English-language weather information specialty channel available in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It delivers weather information on television, ...
Geography of Alberta
Economy of Alberta
Natural history of Canada
Regions of Canada
Hail