We have heard it all before, but this time we might actually get some substantial icy weather in Denton County.

A Winter Storm Watch in is effect from Thursday afternoon through Friday for Denton County.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service said Monday that a cold front will move into the region on Wednesday, followed by an even colder arctic front on Thursday.

Rain will begin on Thursday and will likely be ongoing as temperatures fall below freezing, potentially transitioning to freezing rain Thursday evening into Friday.

If it all comes together, ice would initially accumulate on elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses, but main road surfaces could also become slick as the storm progresses. Some sleet may also occur by Friday afternoon.

A break in the precipitation is expected Friday night into Saturday. But temperatures will likely be near or below freezing again Saturday night into Sunday when another round of wintry precipitation may occur.

As always, there is considerable uncertainty in the forecast, but weather officials advised that residents should still prepare for potential disruptions to travel on Friday which may linger throughout the upcoming weekend.

LANCASTER, Texas -  
   For some, the storms served as a frightening reminder of the damage the 
weather can do here in North Texas. It's been nearly a year since tornadoes tore a destructive path through  several cities.
  Lancaster residents said the pounding hail Saturday morning made it tough not to Panic.  When Margaret Wooden looked out of her window, she saw hail flooding the streets and front yards
Wooden thought it could be a tornado roaring through her Lancaster 
subdivision much like last year. Her neighbor Alisha Simmons thought the same thing.                   Her husband went into a panic.
  Saturday's inclement weather stripped leaves off of trees, covered the grass 
with hail and knocked out power to residents.
Barely a blip on the radar when compared to last year's EF-2 tornado on April 
3rd that left a seven mile path of destruction.

Many of the people 
hardest hit are still struggling to rebuild.

One resident said houses in the neighborhood have not been fixed from last 
year's vicious storm.

Despite all of the damage, not one person died.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ WWW.TWITTER.COM/ABOVEROOFING
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK @  WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ABOVEALLROOFINGPROS

                                                                                       
Roof ridge vents help to  effectively prolong and  protect a homeowner's roof from
common  culprits within the home, including  moisture and heat. Found 
on most new homes, roof ridge vents offer a  very simple and effective 
technology that many homeowners are relatively  uninformed about.  Especially
here in Texas, with the HOT summers, finding the  proper  ventilation is very
important!


CHECK
OUT THIS VIDEO  THAT EXPLAINS HOW RIDGE-VENT WORKS!!

Outside 

Air Homes without roof ridge vents have the issue of an escape   route for
outside air flowing into the attic. The problem with  traditional  roofing is
that once the outside air goes into the attic,  it has no way to  escape. 

Roof ridge-vent allows the  outside air that enters to escape out  the
top of the roof, preventing  damage--such as premature aging and cracking--to 
the attic and roof. 

Moisture

Moisture can be released from
many activities that are   performed within homes, including running a washer,
using a dishwasher  or taking  a shower. Moisture is one of the leading causes
of damage to  rafters, shingles,  walls and insulation within homes. 

Roof  ridge vents help to release  moisture from homes, which is
especially  useful during the winter when moisture  has a greater
impact. 

Ventilation

With  the help of wind, a
ventilation system is  created in the attic with a  roof ridge vent. As wind
passes over the roof ridge  vent, it draws air  out of the attic. Fresh air is
then drawn into the underside  of the  vent, creating a circulation system of
fresh air. 

Look

Most homeowners prefer the look of roof
ridge vents--which  are  sleek and blend in well with the other shingles--to
other forms of   ventilation systems, which often consist of large fans,
turbines and  vents. 

Other Systems
 
Another  benefit of roof
ridge ventilation systems is that they are  effective  without being used in
combination with other systems. Other types of ventilation systems,
such as fans and powered ventilators, can  even  have an adverse effect when
used with roof ridge vents because of  airflow  issues.    

  
 





  How To File a Claim

  If you live in Flower Mound
and the surrounding areas and
you recently received hail large enough to cause damage to  your roof,
then you will want to know how and when to file an
insurance claim for  damages. If you're not sure whether your home has been
damaged by hail, start  by examining other objects around your house for signs
of damage before calling  your insurance company or pulling out your ladder.
Hail strong enough to damage  a roof will also cause damage to nearby cars, wood
fences, shutters, gutters  and/or exterior siding. Also, a significant amount of
shingle granules appearing  at the end of downspouts may indicate potential
damage; however, granule loss,  in and of itself, does not prove hail
damage.

The following steps
will help make filing a claim a lot easier for
you:

1. Note the date. 
If you know for sure that you've recently had a hail
storm, note the date.  You'll need this date to file a claim. If you didn't take
any picture of the  hail storm yourself, do an internet search with the name of
your city and the  keywords, "hail storm." You ought to find a lot of pictures
of people showing  the size of the hail. Save a few to show the
agent.

2. Get a qualified opinion. 
If you suspect you have damage to your roof from a hail storm,
get several  opinions from qualified roofing companies. If you are in an area
susceptible to  hail, you will most likely find several that list themselves as
hail damage  specialist. Simply tell them that you suspect you
have damage from a recent hail  storm and they'll be more than glad to come and
give you an estimate. Always check their references, BBB, Yp.com (yellow pages
online), Angie's List, Yelp,
etc...)

3. Meeting the roofing companies. 
When the roofing
companies come, spend some time getting to know them and ask  about the service
they provide. Most will spend about 10-20 minutes on your roof  accessing the
damage. Ask them what they think and if they'd recommend that you  call your
insurance company to file a claim. Get business cards and any  information they
provide about the roofing process that they use.  Ask them all if
they'd be willing to be there  when the insurance adjuster comes to access the
damage. I think as a general  rule, if they are not willing to be there, then
they really don't think you have  much of a chance in getting your claim
approved.

4. Filing the claim. 
This is the easy part.
If the roofing companies recommended you call in a  claim, just call your
insurance company and tell them you want to file a claim  for hail damage. They
will then request all the pertinent dates and data from you  and will probably
also ask if you have any interior damage. It's probably not  necessary, but when
I put in my claim, I made sure that I told them that I  already had several
roofing companies who specialize in hail damage look at my  roof and tell me it
needed replacing. Also know this, in most states you have up  to one year to
file a claim for damage. Although I don't recommend you wait that  long, just
make sure you know what the date, or dates, of the hail storms.  Also, don't
worry about how old your roof is because it doesn't matter. The  insurance
company will look at your claim and settle it if you have damage no  matter how
old it is. The last thing they want is for your roof to fail (leak)  and you put
an even larger claim
in.

5. Meeting the insurance  adjuster. 
When the insurance adjuster comes, there will  not be much
for you to do. Hopefully, you'll have a contractor who agreed to  meet the
adjuster with you. The adjuster will take about a half hour to access  and
(should) take pictures of any damage and then explain the next steps to 
you. Some companies may give you a settlement quote right  then,
but many can take up to a couple weeks. When the adjuster is done, your 
contractor, or contractors, will probably compare notes with the adjuster mainly
  to see if the total roof measurements are about the same. In a case where the 
adjuster states they didn't think there was any significant damage, ask your 
contractor to debate it with them. Even if you didn't have one there at the 
time, and you later tell your roofing company what the adjuster said, most 
insurance companies will send their adjuster back for a re-inspect to discuss
with your  contractor.

When the adjustor
leaves. Well hopefully, they gave you a favorable  indication about a
settlement, so the next thing you want to do is make sure you  get written
quotes from the roofing companies you've been working with. Start  thinking
about which one you are going to select, and make sure you take into 
consideration a company's reputation and not just the price or discounted rates 
they're offering you. Also ask them for a discount or upgrade if you should 
bring them more business. If you had hail damage, then it is likely your 
neighbors had damage, and you might as well benefit by recommending a roofer to 
them.

6. Getting the work done. 
If your insurance company approves your claim, you will most likely get 
enough, less your deductible, to complete the work. If it's not enough, your 
contractor should help you dispute the amount based on the work needed. 
Don't be alarmed if your insurance company depreciated the amount 
allocated for repairs because of roof age. They are just holding back some of 
the money until the work is complete. So, if they hold back $700 for 
depreciation and the actual cost of work is a little more then they sent you, 
all you have to do is send them a letter of completion from your contractor with
  the exact amount when the work is done and they'll send you the 
difference.


             And that's it; a new roof for the price of your 
deductible!


Our Residential Roofing
department is devoted entirely to the  Dallas/Ft.      Worth,
Arlington, Keller, Irving, Grapevine, Mckinney,  Denton,    Flower   Mound,
Lewisville, Springtown, Roanoke, Bedford, Hurst, Plano,  Garland, Euless,    Las
   Colinas, The Colony, Lantana, De Soto, Frisco,  Addison, Farmers Branch,
University Park, Coppell, Grand Prarie,  Arlington, North Richland Hills, Fort
Worth, Duncanville, Highland  Village and all surrounding
areas roofing   needs. Our     residential department has the experienced
craftsmen and   modern    equipment to do  the job safely and on time. We
specialize in all  composite asphalt shingle applications.

Shape 
Hailstone shape is important because it affects the manner in which the impact energy from a falling hailstone is transferred to the material it strikes.

Above All Roofing in Flower Mound

A conical hailstone hitting at the wide end will spread the energy of its impact over a larger area than a hailstone hitting at the narrow end. The smaller surface area of the narrow end will concentrate the force of the hailstone strike, which increases the chance of hail damage.

About 75% of hailstones are spherical, conical or ellipsoidal in shape – ellipsoidal being like a slightly squashed sphere.  Spherical is by far the most common shape, especially with small and medium-sized hail.

Occasionally, hailstones will form unusual geometrical shapes. Individual damage marks from stones like these will not fit the typical profile, although the overall pattern of damage across the roof and elsewhere around the home site will not be affected by hailstone shape.

Directionality

“Directionality” is a term used to describe the fact that hail usually blows in from a certain direction. Since hail is associated with storms, the roof slope and elevation facing the direction of the oncoming hailstorm will suffer the most severe damage. Although supercells in the West generally move from the Southwest toward the Northeast, this can vary.

The concentration of damage should vary according to which direction each home elevation faces. This photo shows a home that had 10 hits in the siding at the back of the home, but no hits at the front or sides.

Above All Roofing in Flower Mound

The hail was not orange and did not do in the dog, although it may have clipped him. This area was hit by tennis ball-size hail. No wonder this poor dog is tired.

Hail can hit all exposed surfaces, so evidence of the direction from which hail came should be apparent on a number of different types of surfaces, and not just on the roof.  Evidence of hail damage may be visible on a number of items around the home.  This is called collateral damage. Examining collateral damage may give you useful information.

Occasionally, hail will fall almost straight down, and, in these situations, damage on different slopes may be similar, and collateral damage may be limited.

Above All Roofing in Flower Mound

When you perform on-site inspections, you should see evidence of hail which is consistent in its directionality. If hail blew in from the Southwest, you would expect to see the most severe hail damage on surfaces facing that direction.

If you see hail damage of similar severity on both the north and south sides, that’s not consistent with damage from a single hailstorm, but is more likely to be damage from two separate hailstorms. You should compare the damage from each side, and look for signs that indicate damage of different ages. We’ll talk more about how to do that later.

Angle of Impact

Above All Roofing in Flower Mound

Hail falling in storms with higher wind speeds will impact at a steeper angle than hail falling through calmer air.

The severity of damage from the angle of impact should be consistent with other evidence of directionality that you see on various surfaces around the property.

Blown hail will also produce more collateral damage than hail falling closer to straight down.

No need to struggle deciding which repairs you will make to your Roofing damage- you have enough to think about. Your insurance will cover the cost of your roofing repairs. We are a roofing company that knows the complete ins and outs of what needs to be done to completely take care of your roofing repair At Above All Roofing we will take care of the whole insurance process for you. Call us today at 214-901-7161 for your free evaluation.

Storms packing hail as big as baseballs slashed through the Dallas area Wednesday evening, leaving many neighborhoods with extensive property damage.

One storm sprang up about 5 p.m. near The Colony and carved its way southeast through Addison and Richardson, then into the eastern parts of Dallas.


No injuries were reported in the Dallas area. But in Randolph, 60 miles northeast of Dallas, a storm toppled three mobile homes, injuring three people. They were in stable condition at Red River Regional Hospital in nearby Bonham late Wednesday, said Fannin County Emergency Management Coordinator Darrell Brewer.

Hail of various reported ball sizes — ping pong, golf, tennis, even baseball — pelted the region. Dallas police reported widespread property damage, wires down, traffic accidents, and water pouring into homes through smashed roofs and windows.

The Lakewood area northeast of downtown was especially hard hit. Hail shattered the windows of vehicles and homes and left streets and yards blanketed with broken tree limbs and ice. Fallen leaves were reported ankle-deep in spots.

The storm didn’t appear to be threatening at first, but minutes later it turned dangerous, Lakewood residents said. Motorists ran for cover in homes and businesses. For nearly 30 minutes, neighbors looked on helplessly as the storm pelted everything in sight.

By mid-evening, tow trucks had arrived in the neighborhood to begin hauling away hundreds of damaged vehicles. Police were on the scene, and Dallas Fire-Rescue was blocking off some area streets.

Evelyn Grubbs lost four windshields among her family’s four cars.

“We stood and watched the back of [one car] go,” she said. “I mean, what can you do?”

The storm also leveled her vegetable garden and destroyed her neighbor’s skylights.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never seen hail like that,” Grubbs said

“It looked like someone was hitting golf balls into the green,” he said.

Shirley sought shelter under a tree until a car picked him up and helped him get back to his car.

After the storm passed, the club’s golf course was an eerie scene, with mist and fog setting in and the grounds covered in a blanket of hail, leaves and branches. As the hail melted, damage in the form of thousands of divots was revealed across the course.

Elsewhere, egg-size hail smashed the skylights at NorthPark Center near the Park Cities, according to the National Weather Service.

The hail posed a terrifying hazard for motorists, including on Interstate 30, where some drivers tried to take shelter under overpasses.

Severe weather was reported in areas far from Dallas’ east side, as well, with ice the size of tennis balls falling in Grand Prairie.

Sirens sounded in many parts of the region. There was an unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud near Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, although no tornado warnings were issued.

The forecast calls for a return to mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 90s Thursday, and no rain for the next several days.

Follow this link to email Above All Roofing
Follow this link to our Facebook Page
Follow this link to our Twitter Page

 -- Here's a look at what you need to know about tornadoes, which are
funnel-shaped clouds that forms under thunderclouds and contain rapidly rotating
air.
 Facts:

Most tornadoes form from severe thunderstorms. Hurricanes can also produce
tornadoes.

 Tornado winds may exceed 300
miles (480 kilometers) per hour.


Tornadoes can lift cars, mobile
homes, and animals into the air.


Tornadoes are sometimes called
"twisters."


The damage path of a tornado is
usually less than 1600 feet wide.

 
Are tornadoes getting
stronger?
Most tornadoes move at less than
35 miles per hour.


Most tornadoes last only a few
minutes.


The most destructive and deadly
tornadoes occur from supercells, which are rotating thunderstorms with a
well-defined radar circulation called a mesocyclone. Supercells can also produce
damaging hail, severe non-tornadic winds, unusually frequent lightning, and
flash floods.


A tornado over a body of water
is called a "waterspout."


The United States has the
highest number of tornado occurrences in the world with an average of 1,000
tornadoes reported each year.


According to the National
Weather Service, in 2012 there were 70 tornado-related deaths in the U.S.


Most of the tornadoes in the
United States strike in Tornado Alley, which spans the Midwest and Southern
states.


Tornadoes usually occur during
the spring and early summer, most often in the late afternoon and early
evening.


A tornado watch is
issued by the National Weather Service when atmospheric conditions promote the
forming of tornadoes.


A tornado warning is
issued when Doppler radar detects a mesocyclone in a thunderstorm, or when a
funnel cloud has been spotted.


A tornado emergency is
enhanced wording in a tornado warning indicating a large tornado is moving into
a heavily populated area. Significant widespread damage and numerous fatalities
are likely. The term was coined by forecasters in May 1999 and is used
sparingly.


Enhanced Fujita
Scale:
The Fujita scale is used
to estimate the wind speed of a tornado by the damage the tornado causes.


EF0 is the weakest point on the
Enhanced Fujita scale and EF5 is the strongest.


An EF5 tornado can tear a house
off its foundation.


Category EF0 Wind in miles per
hour: between 65 - 85. Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken
off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.


Category EF1 Wind in miles per
hour: between 86 - 110. Moderate damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes
pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos blown off roads.


Category EF2 Wind in miles per
hour: between 111 - 135. Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses;
mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted;
light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.


Category EF3 Wind in miles per
hour: between 136 - 165. Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off
well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy
cars lifted off the ground and thrown.


Category EF4 Wind in miles per
hour: between 166- 200. Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled;
structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large
missiles generated.


Category EF5 Wind in miles per
hour: 200+. Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and
swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100
meters (109 yards); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.


Timeline:

March 18, 1925 - One of the worst tornado disasters in
the United States. 695 people in the tri-state area of
Missouri-Illinois-Indiana are killed. It is the longest-lived and has the
longest path of any recorded U.S. tornado.


1950 - The U.S. begins keeping official records about tornadoes.


April 3-10, 1974
- There are 148 tornadoes in 16 states.


May 12-18, 1995
- There are 173 tornadoes in 18 states.


May 5-10, 2003
- There are 395 tornadoes reported in 19 states.


February 2,
2007 - At least 20 people are killed in Lake and Volusia counties in
Florida after at least three tornadoes touch down in the middle of the
night.


March 1, 2007 -
At least 20 people are killed, one in Missouri, 10 in Alabama, and nine in
Georgia from a string of tornadoes. In Alabama, eight of the 10 killed are
teenagers from Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama.


February 5,
2008 - At least 56 people are killed, 32 in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas,
seven in Kentucky, and four in Alabama from a string of tornadoes.


March 14, 2008
- A tornado reaching EF-2 strength at times hits downtown Atlanta,
Georgia, damaging the World Congress Center, CNN Center, the Georgia Dome,
Cotton Mill Lofts, and many other buildings.


May 9-11, 2008
- A series of tornadoes kills 22 in three states including six in Ottawa County,
Oklahoma; 13 in Newton County, Missouri; one in Jasper County, Missouri; one in
an area of Purdy in Barry County, Missouri, and one in Laurens County,
Georgia.


April 14-16,
2011 - At least 114 tornadoes touch down in Oklahoma, Kansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. Of the 46
fatalities reported, 23 occur in North Carolina.


April 25-28,
2011 - An outbreak of 201 confirmed tornadoes
occurs from 8:00 AM ET April 25 to 8:00 AM ET April 28, 2011.
There are approximately 321 fatalities in six states during the entire outbreak
from April 25 to April 28. The majority of fatalities occur in Alabama, where as
many as 243 people perish. Other states reporting fatalities are Mississippi,
Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Arkansas. In terms of multi-day outbreaks, this
outbreak holds the record for the largest number of tornadoes.


May 22, 2011 -
An E5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 158 people. It
is the deadliest single U.S. tornado since federal record-keeping began in 1950.
The tri-state tornado of 1925 is still the deadliest tornado in U.S.
history.


May 24, 2011 -
Tornadoes strike Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas, killing at least 18 people.


August 3, 2011
- The Storm Prediction Center's final report for April 2011 shows 753 tornadoes
touched down across the U.S., breaking the previous monthly record of 543
tornadoes in May 2003.


March 2-3, 2012
- At least 42 tornadoes sweep across 10 states, killing 39 people. Of the 39
fatalities reported, 21 occur in Kentucky, 13 in Indiana, three in Ohio, one in
Alabama and one in Georgia.


Top Ten Deadliest Single U.S.
Tornadoes:
March 18, 1925 -
Tri-state area of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana - 695 fatalities.


May 6, 1840 -
Natchez, Mississippi - 317 fatalities.


May 27, 1896 -
St. Louis, Missouri - 255 fatalities.


April 5, 1936 -
Tupelo, Mississippi - 216 fatalities.


April 6, 1936 -
Gainesville, Georgia - 203 fatalities.


April 9, 1947 -
Woodward, Oklahoma - 181 fatalities.


May 22, 2011 -
Joplin, Missouri - 158 fatalities.


April 24, 1908 -
Amite, Louisiana and Purvis, Mississippi - 143 fatalities.


June 12, 1899 -
New Richmond, Wisconsin - 117 fatalities.


June 8, 1953 -
Flint, Michigan - 116 fatalities.


Top Ten Costliest Tornadoes since
1950:
(in 2011 dollars)

May 22, 2011 - Joplin, Missouri - $2.8 billion (actual
cost) - $2.8 billion (adjusted for inflation)


June 8, 1966 -
Topeka, Kansas - $250 million (actual cost) - $1.73 billion (adjusted for
inflation)


May 11, 1970 -
Lubbock, Texas - $250 million (actual cost) - $1.45 billion (adjusted for
inflation)


May 3, 1999 -
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - $1 billion (actual cost) - $1.35 billion (adjusted for
inflation)


April 3, 1974 -
Xenia, Ohio - $250 million (actual cost) - $1.14 billion (adjusted for
inflation)


May 6, 1975 -
Omaha, Nebraska - $250 million (actual cost) - $1.04 billion (adjusted
for inflation)


April 10, 1979 -
Wichita Falls, Texas - $277 million (actual cost) - $862 million
(adjusted for inflation)


June 3, 1980 -
Grand Island, Nebraska - $285 million (actual cost) - $779 million
(adjusted for inflation)


October 3, 1979 -
Windsor Locks, Connecticut - $250 million (actual cost) - $776 million
(adjusted for inflation)


May 8, 2003 -
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - $370 million (actual cost) - $435 million
(adjusted for inflation)


 

Johnny Ortiz, left, and James South, right, carry Miguel Morales, center, who was injured in a tornado, to an ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes) Multiple tornadoes swept through north Texas on Wednesday, damaging dozens of homes and claiming several lives, NBC Dallas Fort-Worth reported.

At least six people were killed after a twister touched down southeast of Granbury, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds announced in a midnight press conference. Up to 100 more were injured, some critically, The Associated Press reported.

The Granbury neighborhoods of Ranchos Brazos Estates and DeCordova Ranch suffered the brunt of the damage.

"There were probably 75 homes in [the Rancho Brazos] subdivision that are totally destroyed,'' Deeds said. "We haven't had a bad one like this for a while.''

A mile-wide tornado reached 80 mph winds as it passed through the town of Cleburne, the Dallas Morning News reported. Injuries were also reported there, NBC reported.

Another twister hit about 40 miles west of Fort Worth in the town of Millsap, causing damage to buildings.

The tornadoes developed this evening out of a system of thunderstorms over the area. Grapefruit-sized hail also pelted the area around Mineral Wells.

A tornado warning issued earlier for southwestern Ellis County, north central Hill County and southeastern Johnson County has expired.

MORE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GRANBURY, Texas — Officials awaited daybreak to fully assess the scope of the destruction left in the wake of a deadly tornado in Granbury. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said he hoped the death toll from the tornado would hold at six, with about 50 people injured and 250 people left homeless.

The twister was part of a swarm of tornadoes unleashed on North Texas, devastating two neighborhoods in southern Granbury and a neighborhood in nearby Cleburne.

"I've been assured by my deputies on the scene that they're pretty confident with the six that they found, but there was a report that two of these people that they found were not even near their homes. So we're going to have to search the area out there," he said.

About 50 people were taken to a Granbury hospital, where 14 were admitted for treatment of injuries and two were transferred to a hospital in Fort Worth, about 35 miles to the northeast, Deeds said.

About 50 people gathered in the Oak Wood Elementary School after nightfall Wednesday to have their injured children examined by paramedics. Five were taken away by ambulance.

As many as 100 people were injured, said Matt Zavadsky, spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare. His company sent three ambulances and a medical bus from its Fort Worth base to Granbury.

Deeds said officials were trying to account for 14 people, but it was not clear if they were missing or were away from the area for other reasons.

Hardest hit were two neighborhoods, Rancho Brazos Estates and DeCordova Ranch, in the southern end of the town of about 8,000 residents about 65 miles southwest of Dallas.

Behind one house in the storm's path sits a detached garage stripped of much of its aluminum siding have with its garage door stove in and its roof torn off. Siding was scattered up to 50 yards away, and bits of fiberglass insulation draped on a fence. A tree behind the house was stripped of most of its branches, and a vacant doublewide mobile home on an adjoining lot was torn apart.

Deeds spoke of a county road operations supervisor who lives in the affected area.

"I've been told his home is destroyed but he was OK, so he was ready to go to work to help his neighbors. But he can't find his truck. The winds were strong enough out there that he still doesn't know where his truck is," Deeds said.

Ambulances from as far away as Fort Worth were being called to Granbury, said Tye Bell, Richland Hills police spokesman who was heading to Granbury on Wednesday night.

The same storm spawned another tornado that storm spotters told the National Weather Service was a mile wide. That twister tore through the southwestern quadrant of Cleburne, a courthouse city of about 30,000 about 25 miles southeast of Granbury.

There were no reports of deaths in that storm, Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain said, "but we do have the potential for some injuries." He had no estimates.

Cain had no estimate on the number of homes damaged, but he said he expected the number to soar into the dozens based on his inspection of damage ranging from roof damage to total destruction.

Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth. Parker County Judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported.

Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells on Wednesday evening. A police dispatcher reported only minor damage.

DALLAS, May 15, 2013  Several strong thunderstorms cut a swath through north Texas late Wednesday, with baseball-sized hail smashing everything from car windshields to the marquee of a landmark East Dallas movie theater.

A storm in Fannin County northeast of Dallas flipped over a mobile home, injuring three people, according to a National Weather Service report.

No serious injuries were reported but property damage was extensive.

Two intense storms that swept through the Dallas area in the late afternoon lasted more than three hours before tapering off, said Jason Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"This was definitely a multimillion-dollar hail storm," said Dunn said. "A lot of car windshields were blown out and roofs damaged in Dallas."

Hail smashed the marquee of the landmark Lakewood Theatre in East Dallas. Several glass sculptures created by nationally renowned artist Dale Chihuly that are on display outdoors at the Dallas Arboretum suffered minor damage, WFAA-TV news reported.

The storms also shredded trees and blanketed streets with downed limbs and leaves. About 6,000 homes and businesses lost power during the storms, WFAA reported.

In the Northern Hemisphere, there's no doubt summer is here — and with it, the perpetual quest to stay cool. For those of us interested in sustainability, the thought of huge summer cooling bills (and all the greenhouse emissions they cause) is enough to send a chill down the spine.   You've probably already heard the basics of summertime energy management: keep your air conditioner filters clean, make sure your weather stripping is tight, draw the drapes during the heat of the day, and avoid the use of big heat-creating appliances like ovens and ranges whenever possible. If you want a quick review of hot weather energy-saving ideas, check this giant list of summer cooling tips.   But there are other ways to keep your cool through the summer. We've rounded up five for your consideration, including several tried-and-true methods from the days before central air. Give one or two a shot, and see how they work for you.
                                                                                            
1) Go tropical
 Take the lead of those who spend most of their lives in tropical climates: loose, lightweight cotton and linen clothing rules.   The guayabera, sometimes called the "Mexican wedding shirt," is constructed to cool you naturally. A relative of the traditional Filipino barong, the guayabera wicks moisture from the skin and is worn untucked to promote air circulation. Madras is another good summertime choice for both men's and women's clothing.   Don't forget the old standard of the American Deep South: seersucker. Originally an Indian import, its crisp cotton and cooling ridges make it a hot weather classic.                                                                                              
2) Cool that pulse point
  When you were sick as a child, your mom may have brought you a cold facecloth. This idea works the same way.   Chill your pulse points by running cold water over your wrist for a minute or so each hour. Splashing water on your temples or face can produce a similar effect. And be sure to put some of that tap water into a glass and stay hydrated.                                                                               3) Don't eat: Graze
  Ever notice how you feel hot after a big meal? It's not just because the food was served warm.   Big, protein-laden meals force your body to stoke its metabolic fires. The solution is to break up your eating into smaller, more frequent meals. You'll feel cooler — and it's better for you, anyway.   4) Eat to sweat
  Latin America, India, Thailand — some of the world's hottest places. And they happen to serve some of the world's hottest foods.   Scientists have argued for years over why this is the case, but the most likely reason is that spicy foods make you sweat without actually raising body temperature. Chalk it up to capsaicin, a chemical found in things like hot peppers. Once your skin is damp, you'll feel cooled by its evaporation. 
5) Stay cool under the covers
  A lot of people find it difficult to sleep in hot weather.   Want to cool the bed down? Fill a standard hot water bottle with ice water. Use it to cool your ankles and the back of your knees — it works. You can also try bagging your sheets and tossing them in the freezer for an hour or two before bed. Cooling your head cools your entire body. Opt for a cool and absorbent pillow of organic cotton if at all possible.

www.aboveallroofingnow.com
www.twitter.com/aboveroofing
www.facebook.com/aboveallroofingpros