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Quick answer: US insured catastrophe losses reached about $100 billion in 2025 — the sixth straight year above $100 billion, per Gallagher Re and Swiss Re. Severe convective storms (hail, wind, tornadoes) drove roughly $50 billion of that and are now the costliest insured peril of the 21st century, per Aon.
Storm damage is the largest and fastest-growing category of US property loss. Hurricanes get the headlines, but the bigger story for insurers and homeowners is the steady, year-round toll of hail, wind, and tornadoes — the severe convective storms that now cost more over time than tropical cyclones. This page pulls together the 2026-current figures journalists, adjusters, and homeowners ask for most: total annual losses, how many billion-dollar disasters strike, which perils drive the damage, what a storm claim pays, and when storms hit hardest.
All figures are rounded and vary by region, roof size, material, and policy terms. Every number below is attributed to a named source — Gallagher Re, Swiss Re, Aon, the Insurance Information Institute, Allianz, Climate Central, and NOAA — and reflects the most recent full-year data available as of 2026.
US Insured Catastrophe Losses Hit About $100 Billion in 2025
US insured catastrophe losses have crossed the $100 billion line for six straight years, and 2025 was no exception. Gallagher Re and Swiss Re both put 2025 US insured catastrophe losses at roughly $100 billion — about 12% above the 10-year average, even though the figure fell from 2024’s record pace.
That 2024 total reached about $140 billion globally, one of the costliest years on record, per Munich Re and Swiss Re. The string of $100-billion-plus years is the clearest signal that storm losses are no longer occasional spikes — they are the new baseline.
| Year | US insured catastrophe losses |
|---|---|
| 2023 | ~$80 billion |
| 2024 | ~$110 billion (US share of ~$140B global) |
| 2025 | ~$100 billion |
The Los Angeles wildfires that opened 2025 were the single costliest event of the year at roughly $61 billion, per Climate Central. But storms — hail, wind, tornadoes, and hurricanes — made up the bulk of the remaining losses, and they recur every year in a way wildfires do not.
Severe Convective Storms Drove Roughly $50 Billion in Insured Losses
The category that matters most for roofs is the severe convective storm — the insurance term that bundles hail, straight-line wind, and tornadoes. In 2025, these storms caused about $50 billion in US insured losses, per Aon and the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).
That marked the third consecutive year near or above the $50 billion mark, a level the category had never reached before 2023.
| Year | US severe convective storm insured losses |
|---|---|
| 2023 | ~$60 billion (record) |
| 2024 | ~$51 billion |
| 2025 | ~$45-50 billion |
The bigger milestone came in early 2026, when Aon reported that severe convective storms have surpassed tropical cyclones to become the costliest insured peril of the 21st century. The reason is frequency: hurricanes produce the most expensive single events, but convective storms strike somewhere in the US almost every week of the warm season, grinding out billions in claims year after year.
The US Logged About 23 Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in 2025
Billion-dollar disasters are the cleanest way to track how storm risk is climbing. The US recorded about 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025 — the third-highest count on record — totaling roughly $115 billion in damage, per the Climate Central database that continues NOAA’s NCEI methodology.
Severe weather drove a record share of those events, concentrated in spring and summer tornado and hail outbreaks across the central US.
| Metric (US billion-dollar disasters) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Events in 2025 | ~23 |
| Total 2025 damage | ~$115 billion |
| Severe-storm (convective) events in 2025 | Record share (~20) |
| Costliest 2025 event (LA wildfires) | ~$61 billion |
| Events since 1980 | 426+ |
| Total cost since 1980 | $3.1+ trillion |
The long-run trend is steep. In the 1980s the US averaged roughly 3 to 9 billion-dollar events a year; recent years have run near 20 or more. Globally, Aon counted 30 individual insured-loss events above $1 billion in 2025, far above the historical average of about 17 — a sign of how many medium-sized catastrophes now stack up in a single year.
Hail Drives 50% to 80% of Convective Storm Losses
Within severe convective storms, the damage splits unevenly across the three perils — and hail dominates. Hail accounts for 50% to 80% of severe convective storm insured losses in a typical year, per Allianz, because it damages roofs, siding, and vehicles across wide areas at once.
Damaging wind — including tornadoes and derechos — is the second-largest driver, followed by tornado-specific losses, which are catastrophic locally but cover smaller footprints.
| Convective storm peril | Share of insured losses (typical year) | What it damages most |
|---|---|---|
| Hail | 50% - 80% | Roofs, siding, vehicles, skylights |
| Straight-line / damaging wind | 15% - 35% | Roofs, fences, trees, power lines |
| Tornado | 5% - 15% | Total structural loss in narrow paths |
The shares move year to year with where storms hit. A March 2025 outbreak across 26 states produced the single largest convective loss in three years at $8 to $10 billion, per industry estimates — a reminder that one bad wind-and-hail event can rival a hurricane. For roofs specifically, hail and wind are the perils that matter, which is why most storm roof claims trace back to convective storms rather than tropical systems.
Wind and Hail Are the Largest Share of Home Insurance Claims
For homeowners, the most useful number is how often storms actually generate claims. Wind and hail together account for about 34% to 42% of all US homeowners insurance claims — the single largest claim category — per Triple-I and Matic data.
Put another way, wind or hail damage affects roughly 1 in 36 insured homes every year.
| Cause of loss | Share of US home insurance claims |
|---|---|
| Wind and hail | 34% - 42% |
| Water damage and freezing | ~24% |
| Fire and lightning | ~24% (by cost) |
| Theft, liability, other | Remainder |
The wind-and-hail share runs highest in the Plains, Midwest, and Gulf Coast — the states most exposed to severe storms. That concentration is why insurers in Texas, Colorado, and the central US increasingly write separate percentage-based wind-and-hail deductibles into home policies. Onward sees the same pattern in quote and match activity: storm-driven roof inspections cluster in the same high-exposure states each spring.
The Average Storm Claim Pays About $13,500
For an individual homeowner, the per-claim payout is what counts. The average wind/hail home insurance claim runs about $13,511, per the Insurance Information Institute — the highest average severity of the major claim categories.
Roof-related storm claims, which make up most of that total, span a wide range depending on damage severity:
| Damage level | Typical payout range |
|---|---|
| Minor wind/hail repair | $5,000 - $8,000 |
| Average storm roof claim | $9,000 - $15,000 |
| Severe / full replacement | $20,000+ |
What moves the number: roof size and pitch, material (asphalt shingle vs. metal, tile, or slate), regional labor rates, and the policy’s wind-and-hail deductible, which is often 1% to 5% of the home’s insured value in high-storm states. If a storm has hit your roof, Onward’s roof replacement cost guide and storm-damage service break down repair versus replacement, and our insurance-claim explainer covers the filing steps.
Hurricanes Cause the Costliest Single Storms on Record
While convective storms cost the most over time, hurricanes still produce the most expensive individual disasters. Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Harvey (2017) are the costliest US tropical cyclones on record, each causing about $125 billion in property damage, per NOAA NCEI.
| Rank | Storm | Year | Estimated damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricane Katrina | 2005 | |
| 2 | Hurricane Harvey | 2017 | ~$125 billion |
| 3 | Hurricane Ian | 2022 | ~$112 billion |
| 4 | Hurricane Helene | 2024 | ~$79 billion |
Adjusted for inflation, Katrina’s insured loss reaches about $105 billion in 2024 dollars — the single costliest insured event in re/insurance history, per Swiss Re. Up to 32.7 million US homes sit in hurricane-risk zones, with combined reconstruction costs estimated near $10.8 trillion. The lesson behind the ranking: hurricane cost follows where the storm makes landfall, and a direct hit on a dense coastal metro can dwarf an entire year of convective losses.
Storm Losses Peak in Spring-Summer and Fall
Storm damage is highly seasonal, which lets homeowners and insurers plan around it. The US runs two overlapping storm seasons: the severe convective season (hail, wind, tornadoes) that peaks in spring and early summer, and the Atlantic hurricane season that peaks in late summer and fall.
| Season | Window | Peak months | Dominant perils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe convective | March - August | April - June | Hail, wind, tornado |
| Atlantic hurricane | June 1 - Nov 30 | Aug - Oct | Wind, storm surge, flood |
| Winter storm | Dec - Feb | Jan - Feb | Ice, snow load, freeze |
The two main seasons together make spring through fall the heaviest stretch for property storm claims. Convective storms front-load the calendar — much of the year’s hail and wind damage lands between April and June — while hurricanes back-load it into August through October. This seasonality is why roofing contractors and Onward see demand for inspections and storm-damage repair spike each spring and again in early fall. If a storm has already hit, our guide on what to do after storm damage walks through the first steps.
Methodology
Insured catastrophe loss totals come from Gallagher Re, Swiss Re Institute, Aon, and the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), reflecting full-year 2024 and 2025 figures. Billion-dollar disaster counts and total costs come from the Climate Central database, which continues NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) methodology after the federal product was retired in 2025; historical and hurricane figures draw on the NCEI archive. Peril-share estimates are from Allianz. Claim frequency and average severity come from Triple-I and Matic’s 2025 Home Insurance Trends Report. All figures are rounded, reflect a mix of insured and economic loss depending on the source, and vary by region, roof, and policy. Onward references reflect quote and match activity across our US roofing marketplace and are framed as estimates.
The Bottom Line
Storm damage is the heavyweight of US property risk: about $100 billion in insured catastrophe losses a year, roughly 23 billion-dollar disasters, and a severe convective storm peril that now outcosts hurricanes over time. Wind and hail together drive 34% to 42% of all home insurance claims — the largest single category — and the average storm claim pays about $13,500. Losses concentrate in spring-summer convective season and the fall hurricane window.
If a storm has hit your roof, the first move is a documented inspection before you file. Onward matches homeowners with vetted, licensed, insured local roofers through the Onward Shield 6-point check, and you can get a free estimate in minutes. For deeper figures, see our companion reports on hail damage statistics, roof replacement statistics, and the roofing cost index.
