At over $5 billion Texas homeowner hail losses in 2016 smashed previous records for the highest annual losses ever recorded, according to statistics released by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).
Further records were set by combined wind damage and hail losses to residential property reaching nearly $6 billion, and 2016 hail damage to vehicles was by far the costliest year on record with losses of $1.5 billion.
Mark Hanna, a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas, (ICT) said; “Last year’s hailstorms were relentless.
“We had 45 days of hailstorms occurring somewhere in Texas during the months of April and May. We also experienced the state’s costliest hailstorm ever in San Antonio. It was a rough year to say the least.”
Last year’s costliest hailstorm left $1.4 billion of insured losses after it struck San Antonio and Bexar County in April.
Other severe 2016 hailstorms hit areas of Fort Worth/Arlington, Plano, Wylie and El Paso.
And while the last two consecutive years have been record-breaking for hail losses, ICT spokesperson Hanna said that this year so far, damage from tornadoes and hailstorms hasn’t come near loss levels of the last two years.
