Latest Windstorm Headlines
All the headlines from our Windstorm Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tornado Touched Down in Montana
May 24 2011 // The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down south of Terry, Montana snapping a tree and damaging two small barns. No one was injured in the twister, reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday about eight miles...
Joplin, Missouri Tornado Insured Loss Estimate: $3 Billion
May 24 2011 // The tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri could cost the insurance industry between $1 billion and $3 billion, according to catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat. The tornado is the deadliest to hit the U.S. since 1947 and...
Missouri Tornado: 116 Dead; Thousands of Homes, Businesses Destroyed
May 24 2011 // A monster tornado killed at least 116 people in Joplin, Missouri, when it tore through the heart of the small Midwestern city, ripping the roof off a hospital and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Weather...
Tornado Kills Man, Destroys 20 Homes in Kansas
May 23 2011 // A tornado swept through a small eastern Kansas town, killing one person and destroying at least 20 homes, as severe thunderstorms pelted the region with hail that some residents said was the size of baseballs, authorities...
Oklahoma Schools Insurance Rates Go Up After Storms
May 23 2011 // More than 400 Oklahoma schools have received notices of expected insurance rate increases averaging 19.5 percent. The notice from the Oklahoma Schools Insurance Group, which provides various types of coverage to 440 of...
FEMA Criticized for Letters to Alabama Storm Victims
May 23 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has provided grants to about 15 percent of the more than 72,000 people who sought assistance after tornadoes killed hundreds across Alabama last month, but twice as...
Late April Tornadoes Likely to Affect P/C Insurers’ Earnings, Not Capital
May 23 2011 // The deadly outbreak of tornadoes in late April, which generated insured losses estimated at as much as $6 billion, is unlikely to have an immediate impact on property/casualty insurers’ Best’s ratings. The...
Tornadoes Hit Missouri Town; At Least 89 Killed
May 23 2011 // At least 89 people have died in Joplin, Missouri, and the toll is expected to climb as one of the deadliest tornadoes in state history roared through the small Midwestern city Sunday, local officials said Monday. Rescue...
Tornado Damages Philly Business
May 20 2011 // A weak tornado spawned by strong thunderstorms descended on a northeast Philadelphia block Wednesday, tearing part of the roof off a beer distributor and a bar and restaurant and demolishing a car repair shop. The fire...
How La Nina Might Affect Storm Season
May 20 2011 // One major factor in whether the Atlantic Ocean will experience an active 2011 hurricane season is fluctuating thousands of miles away in the Pacific. The La Nina weather phenomenon, which is linked to above average...
Cincinnati Financial Estimates April Storm Losses of $150M – $200M
May 19 2011 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. expects its property casualty group to see pre-tax catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, of $150 million to $200 million due to severe weather during April. Catastrophe losses affect property...
April’s Tornadoes Destroyed, Damaged 14,000 Alabama Homes
May 19 2011 // The swarm of tornadoes that killed more than 230 people across Alabama last month destroyed or heavily damaged more than 13,000 homes statewide and will smash the record set by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 to become the...
State Auto Estimates April Storm Losses of $75M to $85M
May 17 2011 // State Auto Financial Corp., based in Columbus, Ohio, has estimated its second quarter 2011 earnings will include between $75 million and $85 million in pre-tax catastrophe losses related to April storm activity, net of...
Storms That Shatter Lives Hold Lessons for Insurers
May 16 2011 // It used to be the low-frequency, high-severity events that kept U.S. property insurance producers, carriers, and reinsurers up at night. These big Cats have become part of our collective history – Hurricanes Andrew,...
Arkansas Tornado Count Already Twice That of Typical Year
May 12 2011 // Arkansas has seen 59 tornadoes so far this year, a number more than twice what the state sees in a typical year. There also have been 22 weather-related deaths. The warning coordination meteorologist at the National...
Allstate Reports $1.4 Billion in April Storm Losses
May 12 2011 // The Allstate Corp. today announced $1.4 billion in estimated catastrophe losses for the month of April. The estimated April catastrophe losses total about $1.37 billion for the Allstate brand and about $30 million for...
April Tornadoes Likely to be Alabama’s Costliest Ever Disaster
May 12 2011 // The April 27 tornado outbreak will likely end up being Alabama’s most costly natural disaster. Gov. Robert Bentley and state Insurance Commissioner Jim Ridling said the catastrophe modeling company AIR Worldwide...
Alabama Insurers Receiving Steady Stream of Storm Claims
May 11 2011 // Alabama residents who suffered severe losses due to a series of storms that swept through the Southeast last month have already filed over 65,000 storms, according to an estimate by state officials. Alabama Governor Robert...
Alabama Offices to Replace Drivers’ Licenses Lost in Tornadoes
May 11 2011 // The state Department of Public Safety is opening offices in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham to help Alabamians whose driver’s licenses and non-driver identification cards were lost in the tornadoes April 27. The offices...
AIR Estimates Recent Severe Storm Losses at $5.5B
May 9 2011 // Insured loss estimates from the storms that hit the Southern and Southeastern United States in late April total between $3.7 billion and $5.5 billion, says catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide. Insured losses account...