Calgarians have had more than their share of weather challenges this summer, including several nasty bouts of hail. Thankfully, a little preparation can help your home's roof emerge unscathed the next time golf-ball-sized ice chunks starts falling from the sky.

A devastating hailstorm ripped through parts of Calgary on Saturday, shredding siding, breaking windows, pummeling vehicles and flooding streets.

Heat waves are on the way

Do plants really wilt faster during Stampede heat? Or is it just that we are away from home for longer periods, indulging in pancake breakfasts and evening rodeos? If your petunias are panting, follow these tips to keep them alive while you are out enjoying the festivities.

When it comes to natural disasters, know the risks to your home – and how to mitigate their impacts

In the insurance industry, it's commonly referred to as CAT season, short for catastrophic — that all-too familiar time of the year when hail, rain, fire and brimstone wreaks havoc on our homes.

While the June 2013 floods provided perhaps the most extreme example, every year has been littered with examples — hail that leveled half of Airdrie in 2015, forest fires in northern Alberta in 2011 and so on.

And every year, insurance companies are in the news as homeowners lament that the most recent damage won't be covered by their current policies.