Hail Suppression Program

We want to make a difference in the future livelihood of Canadians

We want to encourage ways for our communities to work together to best prepare for this changing climate and minimize the impact of severe weather when it hits.

Hail Suppression Program

Intact Insurance works closely with the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society (ASWMS) to reduce hail damage. The Alberta Hail Suppression Program exists to try to mitigate hail damage by treating young cloud turrets before they grow into mature thunderstorms that produce hail. With weather radar stations located in the Olds-Didsbury airport and three planes in Springbank and two in Red Deer, the ASWMS is ready to fly into action when a possible hail storm is identified.

Step one

Identify and take a sample from a growing cloud to see if it may produce hail.

Step two

Transport and disperse the seeding agent that helps to speed up the formation of the ice. Updrafts take the agent from the base of the cloud to the top, where precipitation starts.

Step three

With ice formation accelerated, more of the precipitation embryos compete for the available cloud water and ice particles are not able to grow as large.

Result

The smaller ice particles melt as they meet warmer air on their way down to the ground. The hail that does reach the ground is smaller and causes less damage.

Alberta’s most prevalent natural disasters are hail storms, which make this initiative very important to the insurance industry and Alberta residents.

Read more about how our involvement in these other programs are making a difference:

• Climate Change Adaptation Project
• Carbon Disclosure Project
• Insurance Bureau of Canada