If you are enjoying this spring weather and making summer plans, perhaps you should hold on a moment – at least if you’re living in Denver.
One Ph.D. student studying weather Colorado states that there is more hail on the way for residents, so be prepared.
Sam Childs, 27, is a Ph.D. student at Colorado State University and is studying in the atmospheric science department. His specialty?
Crazy intense weather trends. He says he has always loved intense weather and grew up hearing stories of his mother’s survival of the outbreak of tornados in Oklahoma in the 1970s.
Instead of hiding in the basement when bad weather hits, Childs now looks at that straight on.
Childs research is currently focused on how hail will affect people between now and the future. His ‘future’ date? 2100. Maybe a little far for you to think about, but the closer timeline might still affect us.
Colorado often sees some of the most hail and tornados in the country because of its location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Childs says the location is “where storms get started”, giving it the perfect environment.
In the last few years, there has been an increase in reports of large-sized hail falling, compared to reports of smaller, less damaging hail. Hail is basically frozen water or ice pellets that fall from the sky. Hail falls a long way, and often it melts by the time it hits the ground, just becoming rain.
The larger the piece of hail is, however, the harder it falls. With the increase in velocity, the hail plummets to the ground faster. This increase means that it has less time to melt.
If you live in Colorado or are considering moving, be aware of hail in the coming days and weeks. Protect your car with covers, keeping it under a carport or tarp, and checking immediate for damage.
Childs warns that this will affect the aerotropolis that is planned around Denver’s International Airport as well, and all the new residents it will bring. The aerotropolis, which is a ‘city within a city’ built around an airport, has been talked about for over ten years but finally may happen soon.
Denver will see a rise in both their economy and residents as people move to the new location, which will be ideal for those traveling a lot for work or personal reasons and people looking for new homes in a hot retail market inside a growing in popularity.
But an increase in underground parking and insurance for both cars and homes will be a must, he says. Future planning to prevent damage and hardship from an increase in hail is a necessity going forward for the state. Childs only hopes people listen to his research, and understand the risks.
