The recent strong winds and severe convective storms that struck the central and southern United States between April 6-11, are estimated to drive economic and insured losses into the hundreds of millions or higher, USD, according to Aon’s weekly cat report.
Between April 6-7, a deep surface low-pressure system initiated severe storms and extremely intense winds over central US.
Severe weather impacts were limited across states such as Iowa, Illinois, and Tennessee, while widespread wind gusts exceeding 75 mph (120 kph) were seen mainly over Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Then, as the initial system moved into southern Canada, a new low-pressure system began developing over western Texas on April 8.
Aon explained that the slow progression of this system, combined with the advection of rich moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, initiated a prolonged period of continuous severe storms and intense rainfall over the southern US.
It has been confirmed that around 450 storm reports were submitted to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) between April 8-11, all spanning from Texas to South Carolina.
Aon noted that the most extensive damage seen over the past week was due to extreme rainfall, primarily in states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida.
Widespread flooding overwhelmed a number of homes, businesses, and vehicles across several eastern Texas counties, including Jasper, Newton, Hardin, and Tyler counties.
At the same time, significant flooding damage was also seen in Florida and Louisiana, including within the cities of Tallahassee (FL) and New Orleans (LA).
Further, a combination of flooding and severe weather impacts in Mississippi caused one death in Scott County and
extensive damage to at least 72 homes across 6 other counties.
Meanwhile, a substantial amount of destruction due to severe weather was also seen across the Southeast, as a combination of strong winds and multiple tornadoes ripped roofs off of several homes, downed power lines and trees, and caused widespread power outages, particularly within the cities of Slidell (LA), Lake Charles (LA), Port Arthur (TX), and Katy (TX).
Lastly, Aon noted that hurricane-force wind gusts across Colorado led to over 150,000 power outages, as well as widespread downed trees, and notable property damage mainly within the Denver metro area.
