Climate change is increasing the size of stones, making people—and insurance companies—anxious.
Nearly a month after a catastrophic storm with hail the size of baseballs pummeled Central Texas, half of the roofs in an office complex in Round Rock are still topped with shattered red tile. On the rest, the broken tiles are covered by “shrink-weld” tarps and white plastic sheeting that temporarily protects the offices, indicating that insurance has likely kicked in and missing tiles may soon be replaced.
A business card from a local glass repair company to solicit business leans against the windshield of a hail-damaged car in Round Rock on October 16. After severe weather events, the cost of repairs can escalate, and scammers abound. Picking a local vendor can protect people needing repairs.A 10-minute drive away, on Rustlers Road in the Hermitage neighborhood, hail damage is even more apparent.
Last year, Texas also led the nation in the number of “severe” hail events, according to the Insurance Information Institute.defines severe hail events as those with hail 1 inch and larger in diameter. The agency recorded 641 severe hail events in Texas in 2022 and 1,120 through October of this year.
Not all hail is the same. “You can have everything from something that’s like a snow cone slushy substance, all the way to hail that can withstand almost 4,000 pounds per square inch of pressure,” Giammaco said. “That’s an extremely strong piece of ice.” Four-inch hail can hit the ground at 90 to 100 miles per hour, which can cause severe damage.
The Hondo hailstone may seem like a huge chunk of ice, but even bigger ones have fallen elsewhere. The largest recorded hailstone by weight fell in Bangladesh in 1986. It weighed 2.2 pounds. And the largest by diameter—8 inches—fell on Vivian, South Dakota in 2010.
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