Friday, July 28, 2006

Through the roof! Hailstorm claims soar


Indiana weather is notorious for the volatile swings it can produce from one day to the next. Just this month, high temperatures in Indianapolis fluctuated about 40 degrees within 48 hours.

The disparity in major storm damage that befell the state the past two years is quite unusual, though, even by Hoosier standards.

Statewide property losses totaled $1.5 billion in 2006, the most in the nation, due in large part to what's become known as the Good Friday hailstorm.

May 11, 2006: Fixing to wait. Thousands of houses and cars still bear scars a month after a hailstorm battered Central Indiana. The lines for repair work could stretch for months.

July 22, 2006: Through the roof! Hailstorm claims soar. April storm one of state's costliest: $560M in damage

This was a REALLY fun story that affected a lot of people but didn't attract a lot of attention. The Good Friday hailstorm will go down as one of the costliest weather events in state history: 177,000 Central Indiana residents have filed claims totaling $560 million for auto and home repairs.

Here's how the hailstorm looked through the eyes of a witness.