AUSTIN, Texas — 2023 was a year for the record books, but it’s the kind of record we could have done without.
Last year was a particularly expensive time for storm damage, mainly because of hail.
In fact, hail of at least 1 inch fell on over 10 million homes and apartment buildings across the U.S. from mid-March through November. Texas led the nation in the number of buildings damaged.
According to data compiled by CoreLogic and made public this week, hail caused more damage across the U.S. last year than tornadoes and straight-line winds.
One local example: the storm that hit Travis and Williamson counties on Sept. 24, 2023, resulted in the costliest hail damage ever. The losses from the storm for the two counties added up to about $600 million – about $300 million for Travis County and $300 million for Williamson County.
Storms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in June 2023 caused an estimated $7 billion to $10 billion in insured losses, with 95% of the loss caused by hail.
The CoreLogic report says it’s too early to determine if climate change caused so much damaging hail last year, but they clarify that the high cost of damages can be blamed on the rising cost of replacing roofs, windows and siding.
And with more hailstorms like these, we’ll likely see increases in our property insurance bills in the months ahead.