The approach of summer in Colorado means sunny days, blooming flowers —and lots of hail.

Heavy seasonal storms have opened their annual assault on the state with a hail-induced flood pouring through Greeley on Tuesday and baseball-sized hail pelting metro Denver on Thursday night, especially in northern areas like Thornton and Commerce City.

“Hail is the most expensive insured catastrophe in the state,” said Carole Walker, the executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association (RMIA), noting that Colorado is second-highest in the country for hail insurance claims.

A 2018 hailstorm that hit the Front Range caused over $2.3 billion in damage, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. And losses from a 2014 Denver metro hailstorm exceeded $200 million dollars.

And while the damage amounts caused by the various hailstorms this May have yet to be fully calculated, the season — Walker emphasized — has only begun.

Greeley flood

A hailstorm, followed by heavy rain, brought about flooding in Greeley on Tuesday evening.

One person was killed and another seriously injured.

“The rate of rainfall combined with the hail created an exceptional storm,” Becca Vaclavik, a spokesperson for the City of Greeley, told The Denver Gazette. “On the east side of the Greeley community, which, in general, has much older and smaller infrastructure than other parts of the city, rain and hail simply can’t clear as quickly.”

The storm flooded various local businesses and streets, closing 16th Street between U.S. 85 and Seventh Avenue. Authorities also Sixth Avenue between 16th Street and 13th Street. Most other downtown roads were back open by around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, according to city officials.

According to the National Weather Service in Boulder, golf ball sized hail — that’s a hailstone measuring 1.75 inches in diameter — was reported in Johnstown.

While the city is still collecting preliminary damage assessments, officials have a current estimate of approximately $1 million, Vaclavik said.

Residents who experienced damages to their property can help Weld County by self-reporting damages, Vaclavik added. The report isn’t the same as an insurance filing.

Walker noted that the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association will not see information regarding insurance claims in the city because the incident did not reach a catastrophic amount — around $25 million in claims.

Both Vaclavik and Walker harkened back to the 2013 Greeley flood that destroyed hundreds of homes and farmland in the area.

The flooding on Tuesday, which cleared up by Thursday, was nothing near the state of emergency in 2013, but it still caused issues for Greeley residents.

“Every time you pick something up there’s a new puddle and you can see the walls are starting to soak it in, too,” Corri Mehan told The Denver Gazette’s news partner 9News on Wednesday, as she stood in the basement of her business, the Downtown Oddity Parlor.

A lot of the inventory she stored in her basement was destroyed.

“Lots of fun vintage books, science equipment,” she said. “I have yet to see what the extent of the damage is, but it’s going to be a little bit. It’s going to be a long day.”

Kellin Burns, on the other hand, noted that it’s just a normal hailstorm sprung by Colorado seasons.

“It was significant, but it just hailed and rained. It does it every year,” Burns said. “I know it’s a big deal because it’s all over the news, but it happens.”

Burns, who was born in Greeley, noted that some of the streets were washed out but maintained the storm didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Denver metro hail

Thursday’s storms dropped large, damaging hail over Erie and Broomfield before tracking east-southeast and dropping up to golf ball sized hail on Commerce City.

During its tracking of the storm, NWS recorded 20 examples of hail larger in diameter than 1.5″ that could have impacted 1 million or more people, according to 9News Meteorologist Chris Bianchi.

There were reports of two-inch hail in Aurora, Broomfield and Henderson. A substantial number of hail reports noted hail larger than an inch, or quarter size, in Denver, Northglenn, Federal Heights, Thornton, Erie and Niwot.

The hail caused significant damage in Thornton and Green Valley Ranch.

Residents are preparing for more severe weather on Friday night, as well. The National Weather Service warns of large hail, mainly northeast of the Palmer Divide and could spread as far north as the Interstate 76 corridor, a weather alert said.

Tips for insurance claims

But what should residents do after a major hailstorm and when is the right time to contact insurance providers to start the process of repairing roof or car?

RMIA’s Walker said residents can take small, proactive measures where needed, but advised them to let professionals handle major damage.

“Don’t just go up and get on your roof because you could cause further damage,” she said. “Look for the telltale signs of damage like stripped out foliage, dents to the garage door, decking, any sidings that is indicative of damage up on the roof.”

If residents believe there is significant damage, Walker advised them to contact their insurance company or agency immediately.

Walker said that is a good first step any time after a large-scale disaster. She added she doesn’t know whether the storms rumbling through Thursday and Friday will qualify as a large-scale disaster yet.

Additionally, Walker advised residents to be aware of potential scams and high-pressure sales tactics from people going door to door offering roof repairs. While some may be legitimate contractors looking for work, Walker cautioned against signing anything before checking what the insurance will cover and whether or not the damage warrants a claim.

“Assess whether it’s more maintenance type damage. If you have significant damage, or you think you do, though, report that and make some temporary repairs,” Walker said. “If you were lucky enough to not be in the path of these storms, now is the time to do spring cleaning on your insurance policy where you go through and confirm what you are, and are not, covered for.”

Walker added the best thing a resident can do is take precautionary steps to avoid a cascading failure, especially in light of coming storms on Friday night.

Denver Gazette partner 9News contributed to this report.