Lightning-related home insurance claims totaled $952M in 2022
The average cost per lightning-related claim in 2022 decreased by nearly 30% compared with 2021, according to Triple-I.
The value of lightning-related U.S. home insurance claims dropped around 27% in 2022, totaling $952 million compared with $1.3 billion seen in 2021, the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).
The insurance trade organization is highlighting the data as part of a campaign around Lightning Safety Awareness Week.
Further, the average cost per lightning claim declined 29% year-on-year to settle at $15,280 in 2022. This drop in claims costs was dramatic enough to pull down the overall total paid out by insurers despite a 2.2% year-on-year increase in lightning-related claims volume, Triple-I reported.
“Insurers are moving toward predicting and preventing losses by advocating for resilience in coordination with the real-time application of technology,” Triple-I CEO Sean Kevelighan said in a release. “Lightning Safety Awareness Week highlights the dangers lightning poses to life and property and how insurers and policyholders are reducing these risks.”
In 2022, Florida saw the most thunderstorms and the highest number of lightning claims. However, California saw the highest average cost per claim, Triple-I reported.
According to Triple-I, convective storms are the most common and damaging natural catastrophe in the U.S. The trade organization noted damage caused by lightning, such as fire, is covered by standard home insurance policies. Additionally, some home policies might offer coverage for power surges directly caused by lightning strikes.
Further, Triple-I found fires started by lightning strikes are the cause of 3%-5% of all U.S. commercial property insurance claims and account for $2 billion in annual payouts to small- and medium-sized businesses.
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