Hail risk & insurance
- Hail drove massive insurer losses last year, and forecasters warn the central U.S. of near‑daily severe storms this week. ( ) - State Farm reported $5.6 billion in hail claims for 2025, including $1.4 billion paid in Texas. (claimsjournal.com) - Insurers and AAA are urging roof checks and spring maintenance, while tariffs are pushing homeowners' premiums higher. ( )
Hail is already hammering insurers’ balance sheets, and forecasters say the central United States faces near-daily severe storm threats through early next week. (accuweather.com; newsroom.statefarm.com) State Farm said it paid more than $5.6 billion in hail claims nationwide in 2025, covering more than 394,000 claims. Texas alone accounted for $1.4 billion, the company said on April 21. (newsroom.statefarm.com; fox8.com) AccuWeather said severe thunderstorms are expected “nearly daily” across the central U.S., with risks including large hail, damaging wind and a few tornadoes. The forecast it published this week pointed to Sunday and Monday as the peak days in the latest stretch. (accuweather.com) Hail is expensive for insurers because it hits roofs, siding, windows and vehicles across wide areas in minutes. State Farm called hail one of the most frequent and costly weather hazards in the country. (newsroom.statefarm.com) Roof condition has become a bigger insurance issue as spring rain returns and carriers scrutinize preventable water losses. Insurance Business, citing Insurance Information Institute data, reported that water damage and freezing make up close to 30% of homeowners claims by frequency in the U.S. (insurancebusinessmag.com) Mercury Insurance told homeowners to inspect shingles, flashing and gutters, because small roof defects can turn into larger water claims after storms. AAA – The Auto Club Group said last week that spring storm prep should include checking the roof, securing outdoor items and clearing drainage paths around the home. (insurancebusinessmag.com; acg.aaa.com) Premium pressure is building from outside the weather, too. Reason reported on April 22 that tariffs on imported goods are raising the cost of construction materials, which pushes up the cost to rebuild homes and can feed into higher homeowners insurance premiums. (reason.com) Yahoo Finance, summarizing the same tariff effect, reported that tariffs could add about $106 to the average annual homeowners insurance bill. That comes after years of broader rate increases: the Insurance Information Institute says the average homeowners premium rose 11.2% in 2022 from 2021, the latest National Association of Insurance Commissioners data available. (finance.yahoo.com; iii.org) For homeowners in the Plains and Midwest, that leaves a narrow window before the next round of storms: document the roof’s condition, clear gutters and downspouts, and photograph any damage quickly if hail hits. Those are the same steps insurers and auto clubs are now repeating as storm season accelerates. (acg.aaa.com; fox8.com)
