Severe Convective Storms (SCS) inflicted $58bn in insured losses in 2024, surpassing hurricanes and ranking as the second-costliest year on record for these events, according to ZestyAI.
Roof damage accounted for as much as 90% of residential catastrophe losses, data from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety shows.
ZestyAI’s latest research warns that deferred home repairs could push insurers toward $317bn in potential claims.
The survey found 62% of US homeowners are postponing essential maintenance, often due to financial constraints.
Nearly 59mn properties may carry unresolved risks, with 40% of respondents saying they would depend on insurance for high-cost work such as roof replacement.
The problem is compounded by a knowledge gap: 63% of those not present during their most recent roof replacement cannot confirm its age, heightening the chance of undetected structural deterioration.
In some cases, neglect becomes permanent—12% admitted they would delay repairs indefinitely. ZestyAI previously identified 12.6mn homes highly exposed to hail damage, representing $189.5bn in potential replacement costs.
ZestyAI co-founder and chief product officer Kumar Dhuvur said rising claim severity and compounding storm losses demand a sharper approach from insurers.
He noted that property-specific intelligence offers carriers a way to act on known vulnerabilities, refine underwriting, and collaborate with homeowners to prevent avoidable damage.
With claim severity rising and storm losses compounding, insurers need more than hazard maps to navigate this landscape.
ZestyAI co-founder and chief product officer Kumar Dhuvur
Property-level insights allow carriers to proactively address known vulnerabilities, improve underwriting precision, and work with homeowners to reduce losses before they happen.
According to Beinsure, ZestyAI has received regulatory approval from the Ohio Department of Insurance for its Severe Convective Storm suite, which includes Z-HAIL™, Z-WIND™, and Z-STORM™. With Ohio added, the suite is now approved in 16 states.
Severe convective storms, including hail, wind, and tornadoes, have caused over 57% of Ohio’s weather-related damages since 1980.
In the past five years, Ohio recorded 36 storm events with losses exceeding $1bn each, compared to 33 such events over the previous 20 years, based on data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
