Total economic and insured losses related to the severe weather outbreaks that affected a large swath of the northern and central United States and southern Canada on June 5 – 11 will likely reach single-digit billions USD, according to Aon’s recent Weekly Cat Report.
Between June 5 and June 8, a series of storm systems swept from the Rockies and Great Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, bringing large hail, heavy rain, and winds over 90 mph.
While these early storms caused isolated flash flooding in the Southeast and one death amid heavy tree damage in New York City, their impacts remained relatively minor compared to the severe weather that followed.
The most significant weather from June 9-11 impacted southern Canada and the Midwest.
Successive bowing lines of intense thunderstorms struck northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana, packing gusts reaching 94 mph in Wisconsin.
The widespread wind damage tore off roofs, shattered power lines, and left over 500,000 customers without power, with the Chicagoland area bearing the brunt of the destruction. In addition to fierce winds, violent tornadoes and historic rainfall caused catastrophic localised damage.
Multiple large tornadoes flattened buildings and heavily damaged vehicles in communities south of Chicago – such as Streator, Illinois, and Hobart, Indiana – while an EF-1 tornado damaged dozens of homes in Freeland, Michigan, and one storm-related fatality was confirmed in Iowa.
Floodwaters damaged roads, washed out sections of highways and bridges, and threatened dam failure near Harvey Lake.
Parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan 9.8 inches of rain and 4 inch hail, triggering severe flash flooding that washed out highways, displaced 150 residents in the Swan Valley region, and knocked out power to 25,000 Canadian customers.
According to Aon analysts, the majority of financial impacts over the past week will likely be attributed to the severe weather outbreak from June 9-11, particularly due to extensive damage across the Midwest.
These events, combined with more significant damage reported across the U.S. and Canada over the past week, are anticipated to result in total economic and insured losses reaching the single-digit billions USD.
Aon will be providing more updates in the next Weekly Cat Report as storms continue to impact the U.S. at the time of writing.
