Airdrie experienced some severe weather conditions July 23rd, which resulted in hail the size of loonies. 

Environment Canada Meteorologist Dan Kulak says we live in an area that meteorologists have a special name for.

A look at the hail by CrossIron Mills (Photo credit Brad Nuspl)

"Hail Alley in Alberta does run from around Calgary to north of Red Deer. It's an area that storms develop as they come off the foothills. So basically you can blame the beauty of the Rocky Mountains for the damages that the storms can sometimes do when they cross into that Highway 2 corridor."

Kulak explains why we experience so much hail during these summer months.

"It's because of something we call the mountain plain circulation. Which is basically how the mountains and the plains to the east set up in the daytime to cause air to rise over the mountains and air from the prairies to flow into the mountains and storms to develop in those particular areas. Then these storms move east where it's off the foothills, across the populated Highway 2 corridor area and you get some pretty nasty weather with those strong winds and very large hail storms."

Living in this area comes with risks, as insurance companies are guaranteed to be working hard after the hail storm. 

Vanessa Barrasa of the Insurance Bureau of Canada urges you to make sure you are covered for hail damage.

"Most home insurance will protect homeowners from wind and hail. It's really important that homeowners speak to their insurance company and make sure they know their policy and what they have covered."

There have been some historically big losses from hail in the past, with the August 2014 storm causing $570 million in losses according to the IBC.

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