# Storm Damage - softball sized hail



## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

The HedgeApple~RioGram RR suffered a softball sized hailstorm on Wed. 9/15/2010. As many of you know, the RR is sheltered by 22 - 30ft to 75ft trees. Therefore the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been.










As you can see, the layout was totally littered with leaves and stems that were stripped from the trees by the hail.










The red wishbone is the remains of a bicycle frame with a newsboy.










The POL tank took a direct hit.










The Cimarron Trail horse ranch was flattened.










We had a few deadwoon limbs fall.










The mountain village [Ozark,AR - home of my grandfather] Got buildings knocked over, a couple of detail parts broken but generally survided the hailstorm.










Sadly, there were two fatalities in addition to many injuries to the little people. I still haven't found the conductor's head.

I wasn't home during the storm. I was at the University Campus teaching a class. A neighbor told me the hailstone size. At the University, we has [soft] quarter sized hail.. I haven't found any hail damage to the car yet. An inspector will be called to check on my roof. Having a two-story house with an 8/12 pitch roof, I have no business getting up there anymore. There was no damage to the new plastic roof on the train storrage siding/shed I built this summer. The new concrete work suffered no damage that I have found.

JimC.


----------



## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Ouch!!! 

So, how did the track and storage shed hold up?


----------



## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy,
There was no obvious damage to the plastic track or the storrage yard/shed. It may be several days before I get the mess cleaned up.
JimC.


----------



## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Looks bad Jim. Some people dead some alive..... Horses with no heads oooooooooooooooo how can i look. In NY we only have each other to blame....


----------



## Henson (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim, been wondering about you since hearing about all the hail you received. Sorry for your loss but I guess it could have been a lot worse with that size hail. 

See you next weekend at Marty's.


----------



## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Yikes! I missed hearing about this on the news. With softball sized hail you were lucky the damage was only what we saw! I'm glad you guys are ok!!


----------



## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, Jim.... That's something. The power of nature is certainly awesome and untameable.


----------



## Bryan Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow Jim. I hope your layout is okay!











*It Killed by Headless Horseman.*


----------



## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Auw! That's a pretty serious disaster area! 
Imagine what softball sized hail must look like to the mini people; as if giant rocks fall out of the sky... 
Good luck with the recovery works!


----------



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Ow! 

They were prepared for hedgeapples, but ice that size overwhelmed them.


----------



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim, glad it was not any worse. My son, about a mile or so south of you had 6" hail. See you next week at Marty's!


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Good thing you had those trees to help protect the RR. I do not know if you recall the hail storm there in 92 most of it on the west side of town with grapefruit size hail. looked like a war zone as it just rip trees to stubs and siding on housed ripped of to the insulation. I had a brand new truck that just got pelted wasn't even worth fixing. Maybe another reason why i did move back to Wichita after I retired. 

Looks like most should be salvageable. Have fun a Marty's Later RJD


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

JC, how come no pictures of the softballs on the layout? That would have been one **** of a picture! It should have taken hours for a piece of ice the size of a softball to melt? 

(not trying to rub salt in the wounds, but would really like to see something I've only read about). 

Regards, Greg


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg You need to watch the news more. They showed lots of pics of this on the national news. Later RJD


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Sorry, I watch TV about as much as you do... the national news has a bunch of empty-headed people that look good or are politically correct. 

Greg


----------



## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Think he said he was teaching at the college and not home when it happened thus no on the spot pics!! Regal


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

shot on that day, September 15 in west Wichita 

I understand large, but the diameter of a softball is 4.5 inches.... if that hail was that large, it would really have destroyed a lot, including his roof. I know some did reach that size, but all I was saying was that there should have been some ice left...a solid ball of ice 4.5 inches in diameter will take a LONG time to melt.

Anyway, there's some large stuff below, watch as one breaks the glass on the patio table. (again in Wichita) 

OK, for all the grief you people give us guys in California, I'll keep my earthquakes (damage uncommon) to your hailstorms!! 







Greg


----------



## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Hail from **** one might say mightin one?????????????????????? J.C. keep it der k????????????? Don't send any over here!! Regal


----------



## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Holly Sh-t !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats some scary stuff. Me thinkin i will stay rite hear in NY..... Wonder wear all the cars are ???????????


----------



## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

1980, here in Fort Collins, Colorado, we had SOFTBALL size hail. I was driving home in my brand new RX-7, trying to beat the rain so it wouldn't get "dirty". The first hail to land right in front of me was about the size of a baseball and just smashed into the street like a snowball. After a couple of those, they got bigger and bounced straight back up ! I was only 2 blocks from the house ... hit the door opener and I practically put the RX-7 in the garage sideways in a panic. No dings. Whew!

However, the grapefruit/softball size hail hit the lawn and buried itself nearly 6", and yes they stuck around for a long time. Some of them went right THROUGH roofs. An infant baby being carried by her mother was hit and killed. The whole town was a mess for the next year. Thousands of cars and roofs damaged.


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Nick cars on there way to body shop. I remember sitting out a few of these storms when I lived there. The hail could be spotty as to what side of town it decided to go to. Seems like the Arkansas river plays a big roll as to how storms pass over Wichita just like the Tornado's. Later RJD


----------



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Holy cow! I'd hate to be caught outdoors in that. Good thing the individual pieces are much fewer and farther between than when the regular sized hail hits.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I've been to Fort Collins many a time when I worked for HP... never got bad weather... been there in the winter and summer... just lucky I guess! 

Greg


----------



## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is a link for the record setting hail that fell in Wichita. As stated in my original post, I was at the WSU West Campus, about 5mi North of my house during and after the storm. It was dark when I got home. I noticed something funny about my village lights [the overturned Aristo building] but didn't go outside until the following morning. By then, all the hail was melted. 

On another sad note, wife Susie was at her elementary school for parent conferences when the storm hit. She was about another 4mi north of the WSU campus. We didn't notice until after my first post that she had a cracked window on the small window behind the rear door. 

I need to get an adjuster out to check my roof. The neighbor that told me about the hail said that the stuff we got was fairly soft, unlike the stone shone in this link: Record setting hailstone in Wichita
Therefore, our damage was much less than some others. The roof and hood of my friend's Envoy looks like someone beat it with a baseball bat. His windshield was broken three places, and a wiper was bent.

JimC.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Jeeze, that's some nasty stuff... good luck for you they were "soft"... so no holes in your roof that you see? That's the big thing I guess... 

Greg


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

We had a nasty hail storm/tornado come through June of last year. We're just now seeing the last of the new roofs completed in the neighborhood (and it's not for companies dragging their feet, it's just volume). I showed our adjuster the damage to the railroad structures (fortunately quite mild, given the scope of things), and she said it would be covered if I wanted to add it to the claim. 

Later, 

K


----------

