Severe hailstorms wreaked havoc on crops across Western Canada, bringing an unexpected surge in claims, according to the latest update from the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).
Late season storms wreak havoc on Prairie crops
Hail, strong winds damage Prairie crops
A series of storms left a path of destruction in all three Prairie provinces from Aug. 19 to 25. More than one million acres were either damaged or destroyed by the storms bringing hail and strong winds, leading to more than 2,800 claims of crop damage, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA). “This […] Read more
August storms yield hail claims on Prairie crops
Saskatchewan bore the brunt of Aug. 12-18 storms that racked up hail claims from Alberta to Manitoba.
Hail hits crops at more than 1,600 farms across Prairies
More than 1,600 Prairie farms were hit by hail between July 29 and August 11, with the heaviest damage in Alberta, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHC).
Cereals withstood storms better: CCHA
Approximately 1,000 crop damage claims made from storms between June 23 and July 1
“Numerous early season storms have resulted in a number of claims for the industry,” CCHA Chairman Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said in a statement. “Cereals have generally fared better as many were hit in the grassy stages of development and minimal damage to the plant was caused with environmental conditions being favourable so that crops that were hit by hail are able to recover.”
Alberta dwarfs the Prairies in hail claims
It’s not just because we get more hail, says crop insurance expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes When a province has a huge chunk of its geography referred to as “hailstorm alley,” it’s not surprising crop producers would get a lot of payouts for hail damage. But does that alone explain why total insurance payouts for hail damage in Alberta are about seven times more than the other Prairie provinces? According to […] Read more
Alberta leads country in dreaded hail
You don’t necessarily need a tall thunderstorm to produce hail stones
Reading Time: 3 minutes Hail is probably the most feared and costly type of severe summer weather. If you’ve lived any significant amount of time on the Prairies, you have likely experienced a hailstorm. While hail can occur anywhere across North America, there are two main regions where incidence is significantly higher — the central United States and the […] Read more
Growers urged to leave hail-damaged samples
Alberta again hit hardest in late-June storms
Reading Time: < 1 minute Members of the Canadian Crop Hail Association are asking hail-affected growers to leave adequate samples for adjusters. The CCHA said storms damaged crops with hail as large as baseballs across Western Canada in late July and member companies are investigating more than 1,500 claims. In a release, CCHA president Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said […] Read more
The severe weather event feared by farmers and new-car owners alike
Alberta’s higher elevation makes it the hail capital of Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s look at what is probably the most feared and costly summer severe weather event: hail. How expensive can hail be? To put it into perspective, on June 13, 2020, a severe hailstorm hit Calgary, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in insurance damage, which ranks as one of the top five most expensive natural disasters […] Read more
Hail payouts exceed premiums in 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute It was a near-record year for claims in Western Canada “despite a decrease in overall storm activity,” says the Canadian Crop Hail Association. Claim payments to Prairie farmers topped $322 million, and were up 78 per cent compared to the five-year average. It was the highest payout since 2008 and meant insurers, which collected $309 […] Read more
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