While most RVs can tackle tough weather, an extreme weather event can quickly turn a usable rig into a wreck. With the unpredictability of recent weather pattern changes, anyone can be caught unprepared for the worst that Mother Nature can do. And once she’s done her damage, many RVers are stuck with junk. Extreme weather can cause an exponential amount of damage to paper-thin roofs and side panels. Once they’re damaged, they open up a rig to further problems. In this article, we are going to go over the four ways extreme weather can turn an RV into junk.
Four Extreme Weather Conditions That Can Render Your RV Worthless
No matter how prepared an RV owner is for the weather, a particularly severe weather event can cause enough damage to render their rolling home useless. Unfortunately for many rig owners, insurance companies are quick to either deny claims or simply declare a rig totaled. Freak weather events can’t be predicted, and since they’re occurring with greater frequency, no motorhome owner is safe from the havoc they can cause.
RV owners need to look no further than the 2023 Burning Man event in Nevada to see how unprepared most RV owners were for a severe and unpredictable weather event that left them stranded and caused damage to their once workable rigs. Let’s take a look at how extreme weather can destroy an RV.
Flash Floods
Flooding and flash floods can be especially dangerous for RVs. Whether while boondocking and caught in rising water or while attempting to maneuver down a flooded road, the water from a sudden downpour can put an RV and its occupants in a precarious situation. If you can seek higher ground, it’s best to do so.
Without properly removing everything and anything from a rig after it’s been exposed to flood waters, mold or mildew are sure to grow in every nook and cranny. Flood-damaged RVs could easily cost more to repair than their resale value.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes and severe thunderstorms can do a lot of damage to an RV. Water damage is common after severe storms, but that’s not the only threat to your rig. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and thunderstorms can pack heavy winds that can tear into an RV. Along with high winds comes the possibility of debris slamming into your rig, causing extensive exterior damage.
Tornados
Tornados can pop up at any time in certain parts of the county and can annihilate a rig if caught in their path. High winds and flying debris can rain down on an RV, causing more damage than is worth fixing. In the worst-case scenario, the extremely strong winds from a twister could lift a rig airborne, causing harm to its occupants.
Overexposure to the Sun
While not exactly a sudden event, RVs that are left exposed to the sun for long periods can be damaged. Over time, the sun’s damaging UV rays can cause a rig’s roof and exterior to degrade. A rig’s already paper-thin roof can easily develop cracks and holes, especially around seams and vents. Left unfixed, the first rainstorm will allow in damaging rainwater. This can lead to mold, mildew, and structural damage.
What To Do With a Weather-Damaged RV
Once Mother Nature has inflicted enough damage to turn your RV into junk, many RV owners think it’s time to throw in the towel, call a tow truck, and haul it away to the nearest dump. While this may seem like the only option, nothing could be further from the truth. That wrecked rig still has some value. The trick is to think outside of the box.
You can get good money for your weather-damaged rig by selling it to a specialized junk RV dealer. When Mother Nature turns your rig into a wreck, you can sell your junk RV in Nevada to a specialized dealer. Despite age, mileage, or weather-related damage, they’ll haul it away and leave you with cash in hand. They’ll offer you more than a junkyard and will come directly to you to tow it away while leaving you with cold, hard cash. These specialized dealers purchase all RVs despite expensive damage, age, or mileage.
Extreme Weather and RVs: The Bottom Line
With today’s unpredictable severe weather, many RVers find out the hard way how quickly their rigs can go from like-new to like-junk. If you’re wound up on the wrong side of the weather and it isn’t worth the money to repair, selling it to a specialized junk RV dealer is your best bet. They’ll tow it away and leave you with cash.
