Shelby County has a long history of severe weather and storms. Part of this is because of its size Shelby County spans 783 square miles and covers areas like Hoover, Alabaster, Helena Chelsea, and even Columbiana. When Alabama is hit with a large storm cell Shelby County always seems to receive its fair share of the storm. The area's topography has a significant influence on tornado intensity and direction by altering the near-surface inflow. Few studies have focused on topographic interactions with tornado behavior and associated impacts. However, damage surveys have shown that tornadoes can weaken, strengthen or even change direction depending on the position of the tornado relative to certain terrain. There are several ranges of hills and mountains like Double Oak Mountain that funnel the storms into particular areas and often strengthen the storm. The Greystone Farms area of Shelby County Alabama frequently has tornados funneled into their neighborhood by the low-lying valleys. Contrary to popular belief living on a hillside or water will not protect you from a tornado.
Storms and severe weather in Shelby County often result in power outages, damage to power lines, flooding, trees getting knocked down, roof damage from hail storms, housing damage, and places being shut down. Often these storm cells spin off and result in Tornadoes.
Tornadoes, flooding, and severe thunderstorms are weather events that we frequently deal with in November and December, but also during March, April, and May. This is because thunderstorms will form when warm, moist air rises into the cold air and condenses into the rain with lightning occurring.
Shelby County is not necessarily the hotspot of storms in Alabama, but still gets hit with nasty weather a decent amount. We have often driven through places in Alabama after a storm and you can follow the path of the tornado. Hail storms are also common in the Shelby County area, during inclement weather. One terrible storm and time for Alabama, particularly Tuscaloosa Alabama, was on April 24, 2011. These tornadoes killed over 64 people and caused approximately $2.4 billion in property damage.
Tornadoes and storms in Shelby County are usually caused by spin-offs from hurricanes along the coast. Hurricanes will branch off and send tornadoes with storms all over the south. Hence the reason why storms in the south are so nasty when they hit Alabama. They cause many different types of damage like Wind damage, Ice damage, Tree damage, Hail damage, Flood damage, etc. Let us take a look at some different types of storm damage.
Types Of Storm Damage:
Wind Damage Wind damage is one of the biggest culprits of roofing damage. Most People do not even notice and have a hard time spotting it if you don't have a trained eye for it. In heavy wind storms your shingles will flap up and crease or even just fly off your roof. When the shingles fly off or pieces break off, more than likely that is when you will notice it. All it takes is one shingle missing off your roof to allow water into your home.
Tree Damage Everybody knows and has been through some sort of tree damage with their property before. Tree damage either hits light or hits as hard as it possibly can. It could put some sticks and small limbs in your yard and on your roof, or the biggest trees in your neighborhood could fall over during that storm and put a natural skylight in your house. It is one of those things that is more predictable sometimes more than others. You can usually see when a tree is about to bite the dust all over your house.
Hail Damage Hail damage can cause a decent amount of damage including broken/cracked shingles, broken windows, dented cars, dented metal roofs, torn up siding, and even death or severely hurt people. Hail can be any size and can get as big as a baseball. Hail is like mini meteors coming from the sky to steal money and break everything you have. Usually, it is always a good idea to check the weather app for a storm and prepare all your things if a hail storm is expected.
Anytime there is a storm or tornado more than likely there will be damage following right behind. The best tip for situations like these is to prepare and stay as safe as possible. Any damage found after a storm should be handled as soon as found. If you feel like there is damage and need help immediately, call the Professionals at Birmingham Roofs to handle your storm damage. Call us for a free estimate and we will get out to you ASAP.
(205) 593-4487