Denver Area Left to Clean Up After Monday’s Major Hail Storm

The cleanup process began Tuesday morning for towns around the Denver area, after a violent hail storm hit the area on Monday. Initially moving from the southwest and dumping heavy snow on Telluride and Crested Butte, the storm system began dropping large chunks of hail as it made its way over Centennial and and Highlands Ranch. Northglenn, Thornton, and Aurora were all hit hard by hail from the storm.

Homes and businesses throughout the area saw extensive damage from the storm. The ice destroyed many roofs and other housing structures, leaving holes for water to seep in through. One restaurant on Arapahoe Road had buckets placed throughout to collect water coming in through its hail-damaged roof.

Auto dealerships along Arapahoe Road were left with millions of dollars in damage after cars in their lots took a beating from the storm. One auto dealer said that over 850 new and pre-owned vehicles had extensive damage to them. Most cars take around two years to depreciate 20-30% in value. For cars in the Denver metro area on Monday, it took one afternoon.

Outside of dealerships, hail-stricken cars lined the streets with cracked windshield and mirrors, leaving car insurance companies with a lot of work in the following days.

For those making car insurance claims, insurance professionals advise photographing damage to keep a record. Cars are only covered for hail damage if the owner purchased a comprehensive insurance policy. If they did, they will still have to pay the deductible. If damage is minor, insurance experts don’t recommend making a claim, as the cost of minor repairs for hail-damaged vehicles is usually less than the amount of the deductible.

Although many property owners and businesses were hit hard by the flash hail storm, some are trying to make the best of a bad situation. Groove Ford and Mazda is offering major price discounts on its hail-damaged vehicles. Car buyers can get as much as $18,000 off cars that were affected by the storm.