Convective storm system causes close to $5.5 billion in insured losses

A severe convective storm system beginning June 10 in the Central and Southern U.S. resulted in insured losses estimated to be close to $5.5 billion, according to a brief released Wednesday by Karen Clark & Co.

KCC’s loss estimate includes privately insured damage to residential, commercial and industrial properties and automobiles.

The Boston-based catastrophe modeler said 25 states were affected by the storm system, which fired daily from June 10 to 19.

Texas saw the most damage from the storms, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Softball-sized hail was reported across Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia, and extreme wind gusts exceeding hurricane force were measured throughout the South.

The storms caused extensive hail and winds and spawned several damaging tornadoes. There were 1,557 reports of hail, 93 reports of tornadoes, and 2,719 reports of damaging wind gusts from the event.

More than 18% of the 1,557 hail reports were severe, meaning greater than 2” in diameter. The largest hailstone fell in Wheeler County, Texas, on June 13, measuring 5.5 inches in diameter. Large hail in Mississippi (4.75”) and Arkansas (4.88”) came close to matching state records of 5”.

More than 40 hurricane-force wind gusts were reported across the South during the event, including a 100-mph wind gust near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two confirmed EF-3 tornadoes formed during the event, one in Perryton, Texas, and the other in Louin, Mississippi.