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Lightning Caused $1.2 Billion in US Homeowners Claim Payouts in 2023; Severity Trends Upward for the Year

Florida, Georgia, Texas and California Continue to Lead States for Lightning Losses

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For Immediate Release
New York Press Office: (212) 346-5500; media@iii.org

NEW YORK, June 17, 2024鈥擬ore than $1.2 billion in lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims were paid out in 2023 to more than 70,000 policyholders, with $194 million attributable to Texas alone, according to the听 (Triple-I).听 听

Based on national insurance claims data compiled to coincide with听 (June 23-29, 2024), the Triple-I estimates that:

  • The total value of lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims was up more than 30% in 2023 ($1.27 billion) from 2022 ($950 million).
  • The number of lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims increased by 13.8% between 2022 and 2023, from 62,189 to 70,787, with numbers from the top 19 claims states contributing to more than half (57%) of the total.
  • The average cost per lightning-caused claim increased 14.6% from $15,280 in 2022 to $17,513 in 2023.

鈥淩ising inflation, including higher replacement, construction and labor costs impacted claim costs for the year,鈥 said Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. 鈥淟ightning Safety Awareness Week highlights the dangers lightning poses to life and property and how insurers and policyholders are reducing these risks through effective mitigation efforts.鈥

Severe convective storms are among the most common, most damaging natural catastrophes in the U.S. The result of warm, moist air rising from the earth, they manifest in various ways, depending on atmospheric conditions 鈥 from drenching thunderstorms with lightning, to tornadoes, hail, or destructive straight-line winds.

Homeowners Insurance Claims And Payout for Lightning Losses, 2017-2023

Year Value of claims
($ millions)
Number of
claims
Average cost
per claim
2017 $916.61 听听听听听 85,020 听$10,781
2018 908.93 听听听听听 77,898 听11,668
2019 920.05 听听听听听 76,860 11,971
2020 2,066.74 听听听听听 71,551 听28,885
2021 1,313.06 听听听听听 60,851 听21,578
2022 950.22 听听听听听 62,189 听15,280
2023 1,239.72 听听听听听 70,787 听17,513
Percent change
2023-2022 30.5% 13.8% 14.6%
2023-2017 35.3% -16.7% 62.4%

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm庐.

State Rankings

Not surprisingly, Florida 鈥 the state with the most thunderstorms 鈥 remained the top state for number of lightning claims in 2023, with 6,003. However, Texas had the highest average cost per claim at $41,654.

Top 10 States For Homeowners Insurance Lightning Losses By Number Of Claims, 2023

Rank State Value of
claims
Number of
claims
Average cost
per claim
1 Florida $104,544,285 6,003 $17,416
2 Georgia 87,110,761 5,161 16,877
3 Texas 194,288,888 4,664 41,654
4 California 83,367,791 4,608 18,090
5 Alabama 54,981,756 3,508 15,673
6 Louisiana 35,167,375 3,050 11,529
7 North Carolina 35,544,243 2,881 12,337
8 New York 50,785,848 2,458 20,659
9 Pennsylvania 27,219,044 2,214 12,296
10 Tennessee 39,792,330 2,136 18,630
Top 10 States $712,802,320 36,684 19,431

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm庐.

Damage caused by lightning, such as fire, is covered by standard homeowners insurance policies. Some homeowners policies provide coverage for power surges that are the direct result of a lightning strike.听

(LPI) noted that lightning strikes can occur at an astonishing 100 times per second.

"Mitigating the risks of lightning strikes starts with a thorough assessment before a storm,"听said Tim Harger, executive director at LPI, whose organization听provides听resources for the design, installation and inspection of lightning protection systems. 鈥淟ightning protection systems play a crucial role in safeguarding homes, businesses and communities from the potential downtime and destruction caused by lightning strikes.鈥

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