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Lightning Caused $952 Million in U.S. Insurance Claims in 2022

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For Immediate Release

New York Press Office: Loretta Worters, 917-208-8842, lorettaw@iii.org

 

NEW YORK, June 15, 2023—More than $950 million in lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims were paid out in 2022 to 62,000-plus policyholders, with $125 million of the total attributable to California alone, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I.).

Based on national insurance claims data compiled to coincide with Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 18-24), the Triple-I found:

  • The total value of lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims was down more than 27 percent in 2022 ($952 million) from 2021 ($1.3 billion)
  • The number of lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims slightly increased by 2.2 percent between 2021 and 2022 from 60,851 to 62,189, with numbers from the top ten claims states contributing to about half of the total.
  • The average cost per lightning-caused claim decreased 29 percent from $21,578 in 2021 to $15,280 in 2022.

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

Homeowners Insurance Claims And Payout for Lightning Losses, 2017-2022

 

Year Value of claims
($ millions)		 Number
of claims		 Average cost
per claim
2017 $917 85,020 $10,781
2018 909 77,898 11,668
2019 920 76,860 11,971
2020 2,067 71,551 28,885
2021 1,313 60,851 21,578
2022 952 62,189 15,280
Percent change       
2022-2021 -27.6% 2.2% -29.2%
2022-2017 3.7% -26.9% 41.7%

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm®.

“Insurers are moving toward predicting and preventing losses by advocating for resilience in coordination with the real-time application of technology,” stated Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. “Lightning Safety Awareness Week highlights the dangers lightning poses to life and property and how insurers and policyholders are reducing these risks.”

State Rankings

Florida—the state with the most thunderstorms—saw the greatest number of lightning claims in the U.S. in 2022, with 5,504. California, however, had the highest average cost per claim at $36,319, followed by Texas with $25,286.

Top 10 States For Homeowners Insurance Lightning Losses By Number Of Claims, 2022

 

Rank State Value of claims
($ millions)		 Number
of Claims		 Average cost
per claim
1 Florida $80.20 5,504 $14,562
2 Georgia 56.7 4,474 12,665
3 Texas 103.3 4,085 25,286
4 California 125.3 3,450 36,319
5 North Carolina 29.3 2,780 10,550
6 Alabama 29.5 2,767 10,653
7 New York 38.9 2,315 16,817
8 Louisiana 26.1 2,301 11,336
9 Virginia 30.9 1,988 15,544
10 Pennsylvania 23.8 1,956 12,155
  Top 10 states $543.9 31,620 $16,589
  All other states $407.7 30,569 $14,968
  Total U.S. $951.6 62,189 $15,280

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm®.

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.

The Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) notes the key to personal safety and risk mitigation is to take the necessary steps to protect property before a storm.  "When it comes to protecting homes, businesses or critical facilities in communities, we know that a properly installed lighting protection system is scientifically proven to mitigate the damage from a lightning strike," said Tim Harger, executive director, LPI.

 

RELATED LINKS:

 

Facts and Statistics:          Lightning

Video:                               National Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 18-24, 2023)           

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