WHAT:
Press conference at the 2018 North American Workshop on Hail and Hailstorms will address the growing impact of hailstorms in the United States and outline new research to better forecast these severe weather events, as well as improve risk mitigation, reducing effects on the property/casualty insurance industry and the public at large.
WHEN:
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018 at 11:15 a.m. MDT/1:15 p.m. EDT
WHERE:
Center Green Conference Center, Boulder, Colo.
The press conference will also be available to media via live webcast and questions will be taken from webcast attendees via chat. You can join the webcast at: http://www.fin.ucar.edu/it/mms/live-chat-hd2.htm. No password required.
WHO:
Four leading U.S. hail experts will be participating in the press conference:
- Andrew Heymsfield, PhD., senior scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Workshop Co-Chair
- Ian Giammanco, PhD., lead research meteorologist, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, Workshop Co-Chair
- Kristen Rasmussen, PhD., assistant professor, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
- Andreas Prein, PhD., project scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research
WHY:
Hailstorms are responsible for more than $10 billion in property damage annually across the United States and represent 70 percent of the average yearly property losses from severe convective storms in the U.S. Most recently, a destructive hailstorm impacted the Colorado Springs, Colo., area on Aug. 6, 2018 with softball-size hail. The increasing impact of these severe weather events has outpaced advances in detection, forecasting and mitigation and their growing impact on property/casualty insurance carriers and policyholders.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is hosting the inaugural North American Workshop on Hail and Hailstorms in Boulder, Colo., Aug. 14-16, bringing together scientists, insurers and other hail thought leaders from across North America and Europe to discuss the current state of the science regarding all facets of this peril and how to improve forecasting and better mitigate risks for people and property.
Topics to be addressed at the three-day Hail Workshop include:
- Convection and hail in a changing climate
- Hail climatology and risk
- Hail damage, losses and mitigation
- Hail detection and forecasting
- Microphysics and dynamics of hailstorms
The Hail Workshop would not be possible without the generous support of our four sponsors:
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
- Building Envelope Consultants Ltd.
Learn more about the 2018 North American Workshop on Hail and Hailstorms:
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