CoreLogic Pegs Total Damage from Texas Spring Hail Storms at Nearly $700M

According to new data released by CoreLogic, the 2016 hail season is already one of the most severe in Texas history, with year-to-date results reaching the nine-year average for U.S. hail storm damage.

Estimated losses from hail events this year in Fort Worth, Plano, Wylie and San Antonio totaled $689.6 million, according to CoreLogic.

CoreLogic pegged the Fort Worth loss at $72.5 million, losses from the Plano event at $35.8 million, losses from the Wylie hail event at $246.8 million, and losses from the San Antonio hailstorm at $334.5 million.

Fort Worth was hit with a series of powerful thunderstorms on March 17, 2016. The severe weather left a trail of destruction across the southern part of the city, where homes and businesses were blasted with wind-driven hail measuring more than 2 inches in diameter.

At least 236,452 homes were located in the footprint of the storms in Fort Worth. Hail measured .75 inches in diameter up to 2.25 inches. A closer look at the total number of homes affected by the hail damage was significant and revealed that 39.47 percent of the homes were impacted by hail of .75 inches, leading to an estimated $17.9 million in residential losses. In addition, hail over 2 inches did affect 12,630 homes with combined residential losses reaching upwards of $12.5 million.

In the Plano event, which occurred on March 23, parts of Denton, Collin, and Dallas counties suffered downpours of hail ranging from 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter to a swath stretching nearly fifty miles in length, from near Lewisville to points east of Wylie.

The number of homes in the footprint of the Plano storms totaled 263,440. Hail ranged from .75 inches in diameter to 3.25 inches. 31.58 percent of the homes were impacted by hail of 1.5 inches, leading to an estimated $11.2 million in residential losses. In addition, hail over 1.75 inches did affect 11,301 homes with combined residential losses reaching upwards of $9.1 million.

The Wylie event occurred on April 11, when, a lone supercell thunderstorm erupted near the north-central Texas town of Scotland, just to the north-west of Fort Worth. This long-lived storm began to produce copious amounts of dangerously large hail early in its life cycle, and left a path of destruction nearly 200 miles in length as it traveled east-southeast over the north Texas landscape. Extensive property damage began as the storm entered the city of Denton, where hail up to four inches in diameter was reported.

Data shows that 310,088 were located in the storms’ footprint and hail measured .75 inches in diameter to 3.5 inches. 17.31 percent were impacted by hail of 1.5 inches, leading to an estimated $18.5 million in residential losses. In addition, hail over 3 inches did affect 7,188 homes with combined residential losses reaching upwards of $57.5 million.

On April 12, a line of severe thunderstorms formed in an unstable air mass located over portions of central Texas, near San Antonio. The storms marched eastward, and by 9:00 PM, the southern-most cell began to reach its peak intensity as it encroached on the San Antonio metropolitan area.

The number of homes in the footprint of the San Antonio storms totaled 263,440; hail measured .75 inches in diameter to 3.25 inches. 21.36 percent were impacted by hail of .75 inches, leading to an estimated $10.8 million in residential losses. In addition, hail over 3 inches did affect 4,569 homes with combined residential losses reaching upwards of $36.6 million.

The Central Texas supercell struck first in the Helotes community, where it dumped hail larger than baseballs, then continued slowly across the northern half of San Antonio, damaging property at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the North Star Mall, and auto dealerships near the San Antonio airport along the way. It continued eastward across Alamo Heights and Fort Sam Houston, and consistently pounded communities with hail ranging in size from golf balls to grapefruits.

To normalize the data, CoreLogic excluded homes valued below $40,000.

For more detailed data, visit the interactive story maps at https://CoreLogic Texas Hail Spring 2016.

Source: CoreLogic

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