Hailstorm havoc: $160B in damage to 567K homes last year

Large hail hit over 567,000 residential properties last year with a combined reconstruction cost value of $160 billion, Corelogic reports. 

The real estate analytics firm's assessment of homes struck by hailstones two inches or larger included both single-family and multifamily properties. Severe convective storm activity, which includes tornado and straight-line winds, marred roofing, siding, windows, skylights and electrical components in events that compounded damages.

"While the losses from a single day of SCS activity may not be material enough to warrant attention, the total cost of thousands or even millions of claims over time becomes substantial," the report published Wednesday said.

The 2025 Severe Convective Storm Risk Report did not estimate the level of insured losses. Compared to hurricanes and earthquakes, SCS can occur daily and are a significant loss driver. 

Homeowners insurers have raised premiums markedly in recent years in response to the industry's own perfect storm of inflation, rising construction costs and increasing climate catastrophes.

The Central U.S. is particularly vulnerable to hail, tornadoes and straight-line winds. Approximately 72% of all homes affected by damaging hail were in Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas, the report found. 

Texas was the state at the highest vulnerability of severe storm activity, leading the nation in hail, tornado and straight-line wind risk concentration. The Lone Star State, according to Corelogic, has over 8.6 million homes at moderate or greater risk of hail damage and another 4.8 million residential properties at risk of winds 65 miles per hour or greater, with a combined RCV of $4.2 trillion. 

Chicago is the most at-risk metropolitan area, with 2.9 million homes facing a moderate or greater susceptibility of hail damage with an RCV of $1.3 trillion. Across the Windy City, 3 million homes are also at moderate or greater risk of 65 mph or stronger winds, which affects $1.4 trillion in RCV.

Last year's destructive climate included significantly more tornado reports and slightly more reports of severe wind than long-term averages. Corelogic said the pattern suggested frequent "outbreak" days rather than prolonged bad weather. Major events include a Sept. 24 hailstorm in Oklahoma City which impacted 35,000 homes. 

"The shift towards more concentrated, high-severity events is important for claims managers and insurers," the report said. "Outbreak-type days often lead to a rapid surge in claims."

The firm called on a growing need to increase the climate resiliency of homes, because of an SCS season both starting earlier in the spring and extending later into the fall.