AUGUST 2, 2019EDMONTON HAILSTORM
West Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain
- INSURED LOSS
- ABOUT $90 MILLION
- HAIL
- 80 TO 102 MM (TEACUP TO GRAPEFRUIT) IN SPRUCE GROVE, 70 MM (BASEBALL) IN STONY PLAIN, 45 TO 70 MM (GOLF BALL TO BASEBALL) IN EDMONTON
What happened on August 2, 2019
On Friday, August 2, 2019, during the supper hour, a hailstorm moved northeast from the Drayton Valley area through Parkland County and across Edmonton. Environment Canada reported hail of 80 to 102 mm in Spruce Grove, 70 mm in Stony Plain and 45 to 70 mm in Edmonton. CatIQ estimated about $90 million in insured damage, with large hail hitting house siding and vehicles in west Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain.
Environment Canada described the storms as supercells, with wind gusts of 74 to 90 km/h west and northwest of Edmonton. A tornado watch was in place, with no confirmed tornado.
Of the roughly $90 million, Global News reported $39.5 million in personal property claims, $46.9 million in auto and $3.4 million commercial. The storm also damaged crops northwest of the city, according to IBC.
August 2, 2019, in figures.
- West Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain[1]
- The Friday supper hour[2]
- 80 to 102 mm (teacup to grapefruit) in Spruce Grove, 70 mm (baseball) in Stony Plain, 45 to 70 mm (golf ball to baseball) in Edmonton[2]
- Gusts of 74 to 90 km/h west and northwest of Edmonton[2]
- Auto $46.9 million, personal property $39.5 million, commercial $3.4 million[4]
- about $90 million (estimate as of August 2019)[1]
- [1]IBC, August 27, 2019 (archived copy): Edmonton hailstorm causes $90 million in insured damages
- [2]Global News, August 3, 2019: Environment Canada hail reports, Edmonton and area
- [3]CBC News, August 3, 2019: Grapefruit-sized hail west of Edmonton
- [4]Global News, August 27, 2019: August hailstorm damage estimate
Every figure on this page comes from the published sources above, not from us. Last checked against them on October 11, 2026. Insured-loss estimates are revised after a storm, sometimes for years, so treat any figure as an estimate.
What it means for your roof today
Hail damage can sit on a roof for years without a leak. A bruise can look like nothing from the street, and the longer it waits the harder it is to tell from ordinary wear. If you were in the area on August 2, 2019 and nobody has looked at your roof since, have it checked and keep the date with your notes.
In Alberta, the statutory conditions in a home policy require prompt written notice of a loss, and a court action over a property claim generally has to start within 2 years of when you knew or ought to have known about the damage. Your policy may set other time limits, such as a deadline to claim depreciation. That's general information, not legal advice: your policy wording governs, and your insurer or a lawyer can tell you where you stand.
Check your hail or wind deductible on your declarations page before you file. Filing is your decision. We inspect, photograph every slope and write the damage up against the storm date; you and your insurer handle the claim.
Signs of hail damage
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) lists these as the signs of hail on an asphalt shingle roof, and the metal on the house usually backs them up:
- A random pattern of marks across a slope, not a line or one cluster.
- Bruises: soft spots you can feel when pressing on the shingle, where the mat under the granules has fractured.
- Cracked or broken shingles, especially along the ridge caps.
- Dents on the metal: the top of the eavestrough, vent caps, fence caps and the air conditioner, on the side the storm came from.
- Chips, cracks or holes in siding and window screens, which often show before anything on the roof does.
Look from the ground, not from a ladder. What it looks like in photos is on our hail damage guide.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS.
What was the worst hailstorm in Edmonton in recent years?
By published insured loss, August 2, 2019, which CatIQ estimated at about $90 million across west Edmonton, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. No Edmonton-area hailstorm from 2020 to 2025 has a CatIQ figure. July 10 to 11, 2026 is estimated at over $140 million, but that figure covers flood, hail and wind across Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Is it too late to claim damage from the August 2, 2019 storm?
It depends on your policy and on when you found the damage. Alberta's statutory conditions require prompt written notice of a loss, and a court action over a property claim generally has to start within 2 years of when you knew or ought to have known about the damage. If you've only just found damage from this storm, report it now and ask your insurer what it needs. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do I show the damage came from this storm and not from age?
Hail leaves a recognisable pattern: random impacts, granule loss at the strike points and bruising you can feel, plus dents on the soft metals, which reads differently from even weathering. A report that photographs that pattern slope by slope, with scale references, and reasons from it to a dated storm is what ties damage to a date of loss. An assertion without that reasoning is not documentation.
My roof was replaced after this storm. Should I still get it looked at?
It can be worth it. Vents, flashing, skylights, eavestrough and siding take hail on their own, and they can be left out of a roof-only scope. If anything on the house wasn't replaced, it's worth a look.
WAS YOUR ROOFIN ONE OF THESE?
Tell us the storm date and your address. We'll document what's actually on the roof.