US Hurricanes Since 2015: Economic Impact, Insured Losses & Risk Analysis
Explore major US hurricanes since 2015, their economic and insured losses, and how storms reshape insurance, risk modeling, and disaster resilience
A natural catastrophe event is an unexpected event, caused by nature, such as an earthquake or flood, in which there is a lot of suffering, damage, or death.
Examples of natural hazards include: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane (tropical cyclone), ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, typhoon, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather.
A physical event, such as a volcanic eruption, that does not affect human beings is a natural phenomenon but not a natural hazard. A natural phenomenon that occurs in a populated area is a hazardous event.
In this section, we have collected the most current articles and reviews on the topic of the Natural Catastrophe Event.
Explore major US hurricanes since 2015, their economic and insured losses, and how storms reshape insurance, risk modeling, and disaster resilience
Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana on 2005. Katrina generated $104.5bn in insured losses, according to the Insurance Information Institute
Global insured losses from natural catastrophes reach $80 bn in the first half of 2025. This is almost double the 10-year average and more than half of the $150 bn
Worldwide, natural disasters caused overall losses of around $131 bn in the first half of 2025 (previous year, adjusted for inflation: $155 bn), of which $80bn was insured (in 2024: $64 bn)
Severe weather in Kentucky drives up insurance rates, strains carriers, and prompts regulatory changes as tornadoes and hailstorms increase in frequency and cost
Global insured losses from natural disaster events in Q1 2025 were preliminarily estimated to reach at least $53 bn, the highest Q1 insured losses since Q1 2011 ($81 bn)
Wider natural catastrophe exposure continues to pressure financial results across the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry
Fitch Ratings projects that the property and casualty (P&C) insurance sector will continue to face difficulties in 2025 due to volatile natural catastrophe risks
The insurance-linked securities (ILS) market hit $107 bn in capacity by the end of 2024, driven by strong investor returns and increased catastrophe bond issuance
WTW has analyzed natural disasters, key lessons, and emerging trends. The assessment will focus on physical and vulnerability NatCat factors
Insured catastrophe losses in Canada reached a record C$8.5 bn in 2024, nearly tripling the prior year’s total and standing 12 times higher than the annual average
In 2024, global natural perils resulted in total direct economic costs of $417 bn. Of this, $154 bn was covered by private insurers and public insurance entities
In the US, two major hurricanes and frequent severe thunderstorms accounted for at least two-thirds of the year’s global insured losses, which currently exceed $135 bn
Economic losses from natural catastrophes in the EU are rising due to increased economic exposure and the growing severity of climate-related disasters
Government-backed catastrophe insurance schemes play a vital role in managing the financial impact of natural disasters across Europe
PERILS has released its third insurance industry loss estimate for the floods that hit southern Germany from May 31 to June 6, 2024
2024 is on track to become the hottest year recorded. A warming climate has intensified natural catastrophes, especially in Europe, which faced severe flooding
Q3 2024 saw a number of significant disaster events, which drove total economic losses from natural catastrophes above at least $258 bn
Economic and insured losses from Hurricane Milton remain uncertain, Milton is the second major storm to hit the U.S. within two weeks, following Hurricane Helene
Global natural disaster losses in the first half of 2024 reached $120 bn, down from 2023, which saw $140 bn in losses due to a severe earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Natural disasters amplified by climate change continue to take a bitter toll on the global economy, caused $350 bn in economic losses, with insurance covering just over $100 bn
1H 2024 saw multiple notable natural catastrophe events, which drove total year-to-date economic losses above at least $117 bn
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially began and has already been active. Business owners found that 91% identified specific weather or natural hazards as risk
The total economic loss from global natural catastrophes for H1 2024 was estimated at $128 bn, insured losses totalled at $61 bn
The global financial cost of natural catastrophes starting in 2024 was manageable for federal governments and the insurance industry
Insured losses from the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Ishikawa prefecture on the Noto Peninsula, Japan, on 1 January 2024 are likely to be small
The past year was once again characterised by extremely high insured losses from natural disasters, despite the fact that there were no extreme individual losses
Natural catastrophes will once again break several insured loss records in 2023. A high number of low-to-medium-severity events will aggregate to insured losses
US P&C insurance industry continued to generate significant underwriting losses in 2024 despite strong premium growth
Moody’s RMS overview of North Atlantic seasonal activity forecasts and summarized the key oceanic and meteorological drivers behind the predictions
Most natural disaster databases show a significant decline in the number of annual global events prior to 1980. While the biggest natural catastrophe events are typically captured
Catastrophes and natural disasters in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region amounted to a total economic loss of $80 bn. A substantial protection gap of 86%
Insured losses from major natural catastrophes in the second quarter of 2023 are estimated to be less than $10 bn, in H1 totaled $23 bn
The current environment is complex: inflation has stayed higher for longer than expected, natural catastrophes cause increased losses
Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund plays a vital role in Florida’s property-insurance system as it provides relatively low-cost reinsurance
Re/Insurers poorly prepared for the increased loss frequency and intensity wrought by flooding and climate change as this year’s North Atlantic hurricane season
Political Violence (Re)Insurance Risks are escalating as the world navigates a succession of crises. Economic and geopolitical shocks have dominated agendas
Policyholders should contact their insurer to obtain the assistance they need. Many claims-filing services are available via either a mobile app or online
Property reinsurance rates rose significantly at the renewals. The losses from Hurricane Ian last year were a contributory factor
The natural disasters demonstrate that economic factors, in the last two years augmented by inflation, are the main driver of elevated insured losses from natural catastrophes
Natural disasters resulted in global economic losses of USD 275 billion, of which USD 125 billion were covered by insurance, the fourth highest one-year total
ILS plays a key role in allowing catastrophe risk to be transferred from the commercial insurance market to investors, providing additional (re)insurance capacity
While there was sufficient capacity to meet the reinsurance needs of cedants at 1.1, it is also true that the amount of reinsurance capital being deployed was diminished in 2022
Climate change is taking an increasing toll. The natural disaster figures are dominated by events that are more intense or are occurring more frequently
The world saw another year of impactful natural catastrophe events that once again emphasized the need to better account for the growing risks that hazards bring