Hailstones

It's never nice to be caught in a hail storm. It can be frightening and cause a great deal of damage, especially when the hailstones are the size of golf balls.

KoolShade protects glazing.

Big hailstones travel significantly faster than small ones and often cause a lot more damage.

At a terminal velocity of between 55-60 mph a golfball-sized hailstone can cause catastrophic damage to people and property. Cars often display the impact that can be felt with relatively thin steel bodyshells and glass screens.

A hailstorm in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in July '23 saw extensive damage to the region. Only lasting 10 minutes, it was 10 minutes of carnage with crops being destroyed and a school having its windows smashed.

Watch the video on the left to experience a phenomenon becoming more frequent.

One home in the region was shielded from the extreme outcome. It has KoolShade fitted. KoolShade screens are the most effective way to stop the heat of the sun from even reaching glazing - and in this case, even at speeds up to 60 mph, it stopped large hailstones just as effectively.

Hailstorm in Auvergne-Rhône-Alps: A Devastating Natural Disaster

In July 2023, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alps region of France was hit by a severe hailstorm that caused extensive damage to property, crops, and infrastructure. The hailstones were the size of tennis balls, smashing windows, denting cars, and destroying roofs. The storm lasted for more than an hour, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Understanding the Causes of Hailstorms

Hailstorms are a type of severe weather event that occur when strong updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops high into the atmosphere, where they freeze into ice. These ice particles can then collide and merge with other particles, growing larger and heavier until they eventually fall to the ground as hailstones.

Case Study E-Book

Farmers' Losses

Grape harvests were completely destroyed in some vineyards.
Cereal crops suffered significant damage, leading to lower yields and quality.

Infrastructure Damage

Cars and buildings suffered damage from hailstones, with broken windows and dented roofs.

Global Warming

Global warming is also believed to be a contributing factor to the increase in hailstorms. As temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, which can lead to more intense storms and larger hailstones.

Performance

100% solar heat block
100% internal shading
Hurricane wind resistant at 100+mph
Clear outward vision
60+-year maintenance-free life span
Massive energy saving and ROI
Green, sustainable building solution
Temperatures reduced by up to 26°F (15°C)

Enquire Today

See the benefits of MicroLouvre Koolshade® for yourself

Get in Touch

Product integrations

Lighting solutions - Anti Glare and Diffusion

Victory Boulevard

Our Microlouvre Koolshade® ultra-thin metal fabric louvres were integrated into the units and permitted optimum light transfer, ensuring high energy efficiency, which is key to any lighting strategy.

Find out more

Solar shading

Basingstoke Hospital

Temperatures immediately plummeted for the benefit of all. Because of these results, it was said that 40 air-conditioning units were no longer required.

Find out more

Solar shading

Alexandra Hospital

With straightforward, quick and importantly non-intrusive installation, Microlouvre Koolshade® ticked the boxes in terms of leading to a lower internal temperature and reducing the HVAC load by at least 68%.

Find out more

Why Microlouvre Koolshade®?

A huge range of exceptional performance properties in just one system

Microlouvre Koolshade® metal fabric has exceptional performance properties. Its solar shading and glare control capabilities, combined with its fire and heat resistance, make it uniquely versatile. Its flexibility also means we can produce this in limitless shapes, sizes, and colours for all types of window coverings, lighting design, exhibition displays and for managing natural ventilation.

Find out more

Hailstones

It's never nice to be caught in a hail storm. It can be frightening and cause a great deal of damage, especially when the hailstones are the size of golf balls.

KoolShade protects glazing.

Watch the video on the left to experience a phenomenon becoming more frequent.

Hailstorm in Auvergne-Rhône-Alps: A Devastating Natural Disaster

Understanding the Causes of Hailstorms

Case Study E-Book

Farmers' Losses

Infrastructure Damage

Global Warming

Performance

Enquire Today

See the benefits of MicroLouvre Koolshade® for yourself

Product integrations

Victory Boulevard

Basingstoke Hospital

Alexandra Hospital

Why Microlouvre Koolshade®?

A huge range of exceptional performance properties in just one system

Qualifications & Accreditations

SmartLouvre

Social