Quick answer: Calgary’s August 5, 2024 hailstorm is the costliest hailstorm in Canadian history, with a final insured loss estimate of $3.349 billion and more than 130,000 claims. In the weeks that followed, DKI Calgary received roughly 100 new claim assignments a day from insurance partners. Damaging hail in the Calgary area falls mainly between June and mid-September.
This page combines public figures from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) with numbers from our own 2024 storm response. If hail has already hit your home, start with our hail damage repair in Calgary team.
Key Numbers at a Glance
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Final insured loss, August 5, 2024 Calgary hailstorm | $3.349 billion | CatIQ, August 2026 |
| First insured loss estimate for the same storm | Nearly $2.8 billion | IBC, October 2024 |
| Insurance claims from the 2024 storm | More than 130,000 | IBC, February 2025 |
| Homes affected in the Calgary area | Nearly 60,000 | IBC, February 2025 |
| Insured damage to vehicles | Nearly $1 billion; roughly half of damaged vehicles were total losses | IBC, February 2025 |
| Claims resolved two years after the storm | More than 95% | CatIQ, August 2026 |
| Insured loss, June 13, 2020 hailstorm | Almost $1.2 billion | IBC, July 2020 |
| Insured loss, July 13, 2025 hailstorm | $164 million (first estimate: $92 million) | IBC, September 2025 |
| Alberta insured hail damage, as of 2025 | More than $10 billion over two decades; $6 billion in the past five years | IBC, September 2025 |
| Alberta Hail Suppression Project season | June 1 to September 15 | IBC, October 2024 |
| How large hailstones can grow | Grapefruit-sized, hitting the ground at 130 km/h | Environment Canada, cited by IBC, October 2024 |
| New claim assignments to DKI Calgary after August 5, 2024 | About 100 a day for several weeks | DKI Calgary case study |
| Homes inspected by DKI Calgary each week | Up to hundreds, for several weeks | DKI Calgary case study |
| Exterior hail inspections DKI Calgary completed by drone | More than 2,000 | DKI Calgary case study |
Insured losses are estimates that CatIQ updates as claims settle. Older figures are not adjusted for inflation, and DKI Calgary’s figures describe our own work only.
How Big Was the August 5, 2024 Calgary Hailstorm?
Bigger than any hailstorm Canada had seen. IBC ranks it as the second-costliest disaster in Canadian history for insured losses, behind the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, and CatIQ calls it Canada’s largest hail catastrophe. It mainly hit the northern parts of the city.
CatIQ’s final estimate of $3.349 billion is about 20 percent higher than the first estimate of nearly $2.8 billion. The smaller July 13, 2025 storm followed the same pattern, rising 78 percent from $92 million to $164 million. In both storms, the first number was well below the final one.
Vehicles made up more than half of all claims. Insured vehicle damage reached nearly $1 billion, and roughly half of the damaged vehicles were written off. Nearly 60,000 homes in the Calgary area were affected.
Claims took time to close. CatIQ estimates that 86 percent were resolved one year after the storm and more than 95 percent after two years. After the 2020 storm, those figures were 90 and 96 percent, even though the 2024 storm generated nearly twice as many claims.
What Were Calgary’s Costliest Hailstorms?
This list includes only Calgary-area storms whose insured losses we could confirm from IBC or CatIQ figures.
| Date | Area hit | Insured loss | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 5, 2024 | Northern Calgary | $3.349 billion (final) | More than 130,000 claims; costliest hailstorm in Canadian history |
| June 13, 2020 | Calgary, Airdrie, Rocky View County | Almost $1.2 billion | Costliest Canadian hailstorm at the time |
| July 12, 2010 | Calgary, mostly the northwest | About $400 million | About 55,000 claims logged within a month (IBC, via Global News) |
| September 7, 1991 | Calgary | About $342 million | Canada’s costliest single storm until 2010 (IBC, via Global News) |
| July 13, 2025 | Calgary | $164 million | Vehicles were more than half of all claims |
Every storm in this table struck between June 13 and September 7. The 2020 and 2024 storms hit much of the same area of north Calgary, and IBC cites an Aon analysis showing that 40 years ago, the 2024 storm would have fallen mostly on farmland.
When Is Hail Season in Calgary?
Hail season in the Calgary area runs roughly from June to mid-September. The Alberta Hail Suppression Project, which insurers fund, flies cloud-seeding aircraft into storms around the clock from June 1 to September 15. That window shows when the industry expects damaging hail.
Most hail comes from summer thunderstorms that build on warm afternoons and evenings. Storms can be short and very local, so one neighbourhood may be hammered while the next only sees rain. Cloud seeding aims to shrink hailstones, not stop them, so damaging storms still get through.
Why Does Calgary Get So Much Hail?
Calgary sits in Hailstorm Alley, an unofficial belt that runs from High River, just south of the city, north into central Alberta. IBC explains that geography does the work. The mountains and the region’s elevation combine moist air near the ground with very cold, dry currents flowing off the peaks above, and that mix builds hail.
Alberta has had at least one major hailstorm every year for the past two decades, according to IBC. As Calgary grows into former farmland, more roofs sit in the path of those storms.
What Does Hail Damage Most on a Calgary Home?
Roofs take the hardest hits, but hail rarely stops there. Here is what we check after a storm:
| Part of the home | What hail does | What to watch for later |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle roof | Bruises and cracks shingles and knocks granules loose | Leaks and shorter roof life, sometimes months later |
| Vinyl siding | Cracks, chips and punctures, worst on the side facing the storm | Water getting behind the siding |
| Windows and skylights | Breaks glass, tears screens and dents frames and cladding | Failed seals, drafts and leaks |
| Eavestroughs and downspouts | Dents, splits and loosened joints | Overflow that sends water toward the foundation |
| Roof vents and flashing | Dents soft metal | A useful clue that the shingles were hit too |
| Decks, fences and paint | Chips stain and paint | Mostly cosmetic, but photograph it |
Soft metals are a good tell. If your downspouts or roof vents are dented, your shingles often took hits too, even if you can’t see them from the ground. Our hail damage guide for Calgary homeowners explains what to check and photograph.
What Did Our Crews See After the 2024 Storm?
Volume was the defining problem. In the weeks after August 5, 2024, DKI Calgary received roughly 100 new claim assignments a day from insurance partners, and that pace held for several weeks. Each file needed an on-site inspection, a detailed report for the insurer and adjuster, and any emergency work the owner needed right away.
We activated our disaster response plan and sent emergency restoration crews to the most urgent calls first. We added trained operators and drone units, mapped and gridded the affected parts of the city, and began imaging inspections within hours of the storm. An in-house Disaster Response Team tracked every claim as new files arrived hourly.
Drones did much of the heavy lifting. Trained, licensed operators flew more than 2,000 exterior hail inspections, so no one had to climb a damaged roof, and AI-assisted software helped identify hail damage. At the peak we inspected hundreds of homes a week, with inspection data feeding directly into Xactimate estimates.
Winter was the deadline. Some insurers brought in field teams from across the country, and others partnered with drone providers and contractors. All of our inspections and reports were submitted before Calgary’s weather began to turn, so repairs could start sooner. Read the full case study on how we used drones and AI to handle hundreds of hail inspections a week.
The lesson for homeowners: after a storm this size, every insurer, adjuster and contractor is busy at once. Report damage early and don’t wait for a leak before you call.
How Can You Prepare for the Next Hail Season?
A little work in spring makes a claim much easier in summer:
- Photograph your roof, siding and windows each spring as a before record
- Check your policy for a hail deductible or a roof and siding endorsement
- Ask about impact-resistant Class 4 shingles when your roof is due for replacement
- Clear eavestroughs and downspouts before June
- Park vehicles in a garage or under cover when hail is in the forecast
IBC notes that some insurers apply a hail-specific deductible, typically higher than the standard one, and some policies limit roof and siding claims to actual cash value. Our guide on how to file a hail damage insurance claim in Calgary explains each term.
When to Call a Professional
Call right away if hail broke a window or skylight, punched through siding, or left a stain on a ceiling. Water that gets in can soak insulation and drywall, and mould can follow if it isn’t dried properly. Our storm damage restoration crews tarp roofs, board up openings and dry interiors 24/7, arriving in under 90 minutes on most Calgary calls.
If you only see dents and no leaks, report the damage promptly and book an inspection. Our HAAG-certified estimators write itemized Xactimate estimates your adjuster can review. You can also report a claim to DKI Calgary online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much damage did the 2024 Calgary hailstorm cause?
CatIQ’s final estimate, released in August 2026, puts insured losses from the August 5, 2024 storm at $3.349 billion. The storm produced more than 130,000 insurance claims and affected nearly 60,000 homes in the Calgary area, according to IBC. It is the costliest hailstorm in Canadian history and, by IBC’s ranking, the second-costliest insured disaster in the country after the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
When is hail season in Calgary?
Damaging hail in the Calgary area falls mostly between June and mid-September. The insurer-funded Alberta Hail Suppression Project flies from June 1 to September 15, and the major Calgary hailstorms listed on this page all struck between June 13 and September 7. Storms tend to build on warm summer afternoons and evenings, so watch the forecast and move vehicles under cover when a warning is issued.
Why does Calgary get so much hail?
Calgary sits in Hailstorm Alley, an unofficial belt that runs from High River north into central Alberta. Moist air near the ground meets very cold, dry air flowing off the Rocky Mountains, and that mix of mountains and elevation is ideal for building hail. According to IBC, Alberta has had at least one major hailstorm every year for the past two decades.
How long did insurance claims take after the 2024 hailstorm?
Longer than usual. CatIQ estimates that 86 percent of claims were resolved one year after the storm and more than 95 percent after two years. Building supplies and contractor services in Calgary were strained by the scale of the damage. If you still have an open claim, or have found new damage, contact your insurer and keep a record of every call and estimate.
Is hail damage covered by home insurance in Calgary?
Usually. Standard home policies typically cover hail and wind damage, but check for a separate hail deductible or a roof and siding endorsement that pays actual cash value instead of replacement cost. Vehicles are covered under the optional comprehensive part of an auto policy, not your home policy. Our guide to filing a hail damage insurance claim in Calgary explains each step.
Hail season returns next June. If a storm damages your home in Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane or Rocky View County, call DKI Calgary 24/7 at 1-888-272-9543. We’ve restored homes here since 1981.
How to cite this page: Source: DKI Calgary, Calgary Hail Season by the Numbers (2026). Public figures were checked against the IBC, CatIQ and news sources linked above in October 2026.