Severe hailstorms across the Pikes Peak region over the past week have triggered a wave of damage to vehicles and buildings, and concerns over whether this weather pattern will continue.
Severe weather Wednesday produced high winds and “golf-ball-sized” hail across the area, pummeling trees, vehicles, and buildings, especially on Colorado Springs’ southeast side. Roadways could be seen littered with fallen leaves and branches; homes and vehicles faced unprecedented damage.
Patrick, an agent with State Farm insurance, who requested not to disclose his last name in speaking with The Gazette, said the company has received an influx of damage claims since Wednesday’s storm, mainly from the “problem areas” around the city surrounding the Peterson Space Force Base and East Woodmen Road.
Mellissa Munro, co-owner of Rampart Roofing in Colorado Springs, said they’ve received an increase of calls regarding damages, saying many clients are looking at full roof replacements following storms over the last week of June and first week of July.
Elsewhere in the region on Friday, quarter-sized hail pelted Cripple Creek, taking out power lines and causing serious damage to cars and residential homes, according to Cripple Creek Police Department Chief Charles Bright. Police are conducting damaged assessments of city buildings and properties.
“The storms are different this year. We haven’t seen a major hailstorm like this since 2018,” Munro said.
Citing the size of the hail produced, and the constant impact on buildings that comes with these types of weather events, Munro said delays in repairs and parts are inevitable.
“We’re currently about two weeks out in appointments,” Munro said. “We’ll probably be seeing delays in the product over the next month, since Denver has also seen damaging storms over the past few weeks.”
Additionally, Munro provided a few warning signs to look for when inspecting homes for damages following severe weather events, regardless of the size of hail produced.
“If hailstones are small, don’t assume that they can’t damage your roof. Strong winds often drive hailstones against your roof at a high rate of speed. Just because your roof appears to be intact when you look at it from the ground, it doesn’t mean you don’t have damage,” Munro said.
Munro added homeowners should look for color disparities in asphalt roofing — black spots on shingles indicate granule loss, which can lead to rapid deterioration and eventual leaks if gone untreated.
Along with damage caused by hail, homeowners should be wary of high winds that can cause roof damage.
“Sometimes, it’s obvious and you’ll know immediately if you see missing shingles or tiles in your yard. In other cases, the damage is not visible from the ground,” Munro said.
“High winds can break the seal strips of your shingles, but they might not break off completely and blow away. Once the seal is compromised, your home is left exposed and will be prone to leaking,” a blog post on the Rampart Roofing website reads.
Greg Dingrando, a spokesperson for the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, said although the department has spoken with roofers in the area regarding storm damages, the wave of permit requests for roofing repairs hasn’t hit the office yet.
“Once inspection reports are complete, people can then apply for repair permits that are looking at full roof replacements,” Dingrando said.
“We’ve been told a wave is coming, but as of now we’re not seeing an increase in requests.”
According to Paul Steward, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo, this week’s hail is unseasonal but makes sense.
“With the setup that we currently have, the weather makes sense, but normally by now it should be calming down.”
The persistent weather trough — an extended low atmospheric pressure system known for producing cold, stormy weather — is hovering over Canada and is responsible for feeding waves of high-impact storms hitting the Pikes Peak region over the past weeks. That weather system is accompanied by moisture being brought by easterly winds, creating the hailstorms seen across the region, according to Steward.
Steward said that looking ahead into the weekend, severe weather events are possible, mainly in the early afternoon and evening.
“The storms heading over the eastern mountains will travel through portions of I-25 before heading into the lower plains,” Steward said. “It’s looking to be an earlier show today (Friday), with a similar forecast for Saturday.
Severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes and heavy rainfall possible today. The greatest risk will be along and south of highway 50. Thunderstorms may regenerate across the I-25 corridor and southeast plains into the overnight hours. #cowx pic.twitter.com/bX2m3c8ucA
— NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) July 7, 2023
“The system looks to be diminishing, with things looking to dry up heading into next week.”
Gazette’s Nick Sullivan contributed to this report.