SGI receives hundreds of claims after weekend hailstorm

A normal summer day quickly turned into a destructive summer storm Saturday in northern Saskatoon.

Anne Canete says she had just arrived at Costco in the north of the city when the storm started.

« I was so scared and so embarrassed because we felt like the car was going to shake because sometimes the wind was really strong, » Canete said.

Although the hail didn’t last long, it damaged her four-month-old car. Other Costco customers also returned to their vehicles covered in dents.

As a result, SGI already receives hundreds of complaints.

“We have received approximately 300 hail-related automotive claims,” said Tyler McMurchy, media relations manager at SGI. « It’s not an overwhelming amount, but it’s a substantial number. »

SGI expects this number to increase throughout the week. Complaints can be submitted online, in person or by telephone.

Now that we’re in the thick of inclement weather, thunderstorms and hail could last until around the end of July.

« What’s unusual is the last two years, which have been drought years and we haven’t seen a lot of thunderstorm activity, so I think people are forgetting that what we’re getting right now is a lot more typical than what we’ve had for the past two years,” said Terri Lang, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Lang says extreme weather conditions are difficult to predict and take precautions when alerts are in place.

As for Canete, she says she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

« Even today I was already scared to go out of the house, so I always check the weather now, » Canete said.