Latest Windstorm Headlines

All the headlines from our Windstorm Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Time Running Out for Texas’ Windstorm Association Bill

May 31 2009 // Time is running out on the Texas Legislature.Several big issues — including restoring the state’s windstorm insurance fund — were in final negotiations as the last weekend of the 140-day session turned...

Logjam in Texas House Threatens Windstorm Bill, Other Legislation

May 26 2009 // Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives have been using stalling tactics to avoid a vote on a controversial Voter ID bill widely supported by Republicans.The only problem is, other measures, including a...

Recovery From Tornado Taking Shape in Mena, Ark.

May 21 2009 // The work to repair damage from last month’s tornado in Mena, Ark., has brought a building boom to the western Arkansas city at a time when most construction crews are feeling the effects of the recession.Three people...

Colorado Nears Anniversary of Its Costliest Tornado

May 20 2009 // The tornado that devastated the community of Windsor, Colorado, on May 22 of last year added up to an estimated $193.5 million in insured damage– making it Colorado’s most expensive tornado.The claims came from...

Better Predictions of Storm Intensity Could Take Decade

May 19 2009 // People living in hurricane danger zones could have a long wait — as much as 10 years — for improved forecasts of rapid intensity changes in a hurricane, the top U.S. hurricane forecaster said recently.In the...

Midwest’s ‘Tornado Alley’ Now Under Special Radar

May 18 2009 // As part of an ambitious attempt to figure out how tornadoes form and how to predict them more accurately, engineers from the University of Massachusetts are deploying two special mobile Doppler radar systems to the Great...

Spring Storms Tear Up Midwest, Claim 3 Lives in Missouri

May 15 2009 // Citizens in four Midwestern states are cleaning up after violent storms killed three people in northern Missouri, damaged hundreds of homes and left thousands without power.Authorities reported at least two tornadoes...

CSU’s Gray May Reduce Atlantic Storm Outlook

May 14 2009 // Colorado State University hurricane forecaster Bill Gray said Wednesday he may reduce his next Atlantic season forecast because sea temperatures are cooling and a weak El Nino may appear by late summer.“Things are...

U.S. Hurricane Center Applying Storm Surge, Other Lessons Learned

May 14 2009 // Tropical storms are unpredictable, but as the National Hurricane Center’s director contemplates ways to improve forecasting errors and communicating with the public, he is confident he has an ally at the Federal...

Mild Solar Storm Season Predicted But Major Damage Still Possible

May 12 2009 // Although its peak is still four years away, a new active period of Earth-threatening solar storms will be the weakest since 1928, predicts an international panel of experts.Despite the prediction, Earth is still vulnerable...

Cleanup Begins After Midwest Storms Kill 6

May 11 2009 // Residents of the Midwest began clearing away wreckage May 9 following a wave of powerful storms that splintered homes, knocked out power to thousands and killed six people.Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or...

Named Storm Deductible Bill Passes Louisiana House

May 7 2009 // Two bills of interest to the insurance industry are making their way through the Louisiana legislative session, which convened April 27.House Bill 333, by Rep. Kleckley, which places limitations on named-storm, hurricane,...

Engineer Distances Himself From Storm Damage at Cowboys’ Facility

May 7 2009 // A structural engineer maintains he had limited involvement with the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility that collapsed during a thunderstorm on May 2 and left a team employee paralyzed.“I was there just a few...

Texas Senate Approves Windstorm Bill

May 4 2009 // The Texas Senate approved a new structure for the state’s depleted windstorm insurance fund last week, providing a combination of potential rate hikes, bonding and other revenue to ensure the account gets...

2 More Kansas Storm Deaths Reported

May 1 2009 // Two people were found dead in a southeast Kansas creek this week, bringing to five the number of deaths blamed on violent storms since the weekend.The state Division of Emergency Management said Labette...

UMass Engineers Deploy Special Radar to Midwest’s ‘Tornado Alley’

Apr 29 2009 // As part of the largest, most ambitious attempt ever launched to figure out how tornadoes form and how to predict them more accurately, engineers from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst this week are readying two...

Colorado’s April Snow Storm Piles onto Spring Flood Threat

Apr 28 2009 // The big melt is on across Colorado, increasing the threat of spring flooding, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. It’s also a wake-up call to homeowners and renters that they may not...

Severe Storm Season Like 2008 Could Occur Once Every 4 to 5 Years, RMS Predicts

Apr 22 2009 // As the peak tornado season rapidly approaches in May, Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a provider of products and services for catastrophe risk management, has released a special report analyzing the impact of the 2008...

Kentucky Insurance Officials Assist Murfreesboro Storm Victims

Apr 21 2009 // Kentucky insurance officials are moving to assist victims of recent severe storms in the Murfreesboro area. The Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance is setting up a temporary consumer center in...

Windstorm Insurance Debate Begins in Texas, Finally

Apr 20 2009 // Texas legislators on April 7 finally jumped into debate over how to improve the troubled windstorm insurance system that serves as a last resort for hurricane protection along much of the Gulf Coast.The House Insurance...