Extreme “golf ball size” hail carves 125 miles of “scars” in Canadian landscapes – Earth from Space

This impressive satellite image highlights the aftermath of the major hails of Alberta, Canada, and carved a huge “scratch” into a landscape about half the length of the Grand Canyon. The extreme event, which thrusts the ground with a golf ball-sized ice block, killed at least two animals.

A surprising storm began on August 20th, a mild day in a localized region of southern Alberta, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.

The storm produced few lightning strikes, but caused serious hail and strong winds, causing extensive damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure. Some of the Hyrestone reached a maximum diameter of 2 inches (5 centimeters), with associated winds reaching speeds above 75 mph (120 km/h). According to the weather network, it is equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.

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In addition to the damage facility, huge balls of falling ice smacked onto the ground, tearing the vegetation apart. The result was a scar about 125 miles (200 km) and 9 miles (15 km) wide, etched into the landscape, clearly visible from space.

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The worst affected area was the Brooks area, located in a small city (see at the top left of the satellite image) about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Calgary. The combination of ultra-higher hail and strong winds destroyed local homes and vehicles, and nearby power pylons bent at near 90 degrees, according to Canadian news outlet CBC.

“The whole front of the house will be destroyed,” Brooks resident Colleen Foisey told CBC. “The front fence was actually torn from the cement pillar. My flowers in my yard are thrown and branches are branched from the trees. All the damage has been done a year ago. My boat cover has been shredded.”

The strong winds were also blown over the large fence of a fun farm in a white barn west of Brooks, killing “best friends” Bactrian camel (Camels Bactrinus) and ponies, the farm owner told CBC. The horse and several birds were also injured.

Massive storms slam power lines and damage homes and cars in southern Alberta – YouTube

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“High Storm Alley”

The event was extreme, but it is not uncommon for such a storm to appear in this part of Alberta.

“The climate and geography of the region encourages the development of storms, and the region usually sees dozens of h events each year,” a representative from the Earth Observatory wrote.

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According to a recent report in the Insurance magazine, Hailstorm’s damage in Alberta has exceeded the Canadian dollar ($4.3 billion) to exclude damage from the storm that has not yet been calculated.

Some of those affected by the latest storm were still recovering from a similar event in July.

Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center are currently working on ways to better predict these damaging storms ahead of time, reducing the impact.

“The cutting-edge identification technology allows us to quantify the distribution and frequency of intense storms with an extraordinary level of consistency granted only through satellite measurements,” Benjamin Scarino, research scientist at the center, told Earth Observatory. “Long-term satellite data records can provide valuable insight into the reinsurance industry, project partners, and the research community about the activities and risks of intense storms.”