Colo. early morning hailstorm carries $169 million insurance price tag
The June 13 storm pounded vehicles and roofs causing widespread damage with golf and baseball-sized hail.
Thousands of Colorado Springs and Falcon area residents have spent the past couple of weeks cleaning up and meeting with insurance adjusters after an unusual early morning June 13, 2018, storm pelted the area with golf and baseball-sized hail.
The storm caused an estimated $169 million in insured losses resulting from 26,000 auto and homeowners insurance claims filed so far, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA). The damage estimates include 17,351 car insurance claims adding up to more than $104 million and 8,648 property insurance claims at more than $65 million.
12th most expensive Colo. hailstorm
The estimate ranks this storm as the state’s 12th most expensive hailstorm and is the most damaging Southern Colorado storm since a July 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm caused an estimated $366.8 million in insured losses (in 2018 dollars) — the state’s 6th most expensive hailstorm.
“This is yet another reminder from Mother Nature of why Colorado is ranked #2 in the nation for hail insurance claims,” says Carole Walker, executive director of the RMIIA, a non-profit organization that represents property and casualty insurers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Know how much insurance protection you have
“The size and amount of hail that battered Colorado Springs is unfortunately part of a pattern of catastrophic events the state has been experiencing during the past several years, so we need to be financially prepared for the unexpected-check your insurance to know what it covers, what it doesn’t and how much protection you have when you need it the most.”
Related: Insured losses from May’s ‘Ring of Fire’ near $2.5 billion, says new report