July hailstorm among Germany’s costliest disasters: AIR Worldwide

Severe hail in central Europe in late July have caused losses of around $1.7 billion, with some estimates as high as $2 billion, making it one of the costliest hail events in Germany, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.

Several severe hail events occurred July 27 and 28, ahead of a low pressure system named Andreas, AIR said.

The storm moved from Bielefeld over Hannover to Wolfsburg in northern Germany and produced large hailstones, with the largest recorded about 12 cm, according to AIR. It then moved over the Black Forest mountain range in southern Germany, also producing large hailstones, up to 10 cm in diameter.

The events will be considered a single occurrence for reinsurance purposes, the firm added.

Based on the estimates, the events would be behind only the 1984 Munich hailstorm and would be among the 10 costliest disasters in Germany, according to the firm.

According to AIR, based on the latest reports, approximately 100,000 buildings and 50,000 automobiles were damaged by hail from these two events. Building damage was mostly from broken windows and roller shutters, broken roofs tiles, and perforated siding, the firm said.

Another major loss was to solar equipment, often attached to the roof of buildings, and so particularly susceptible to hail damage.

“Roofers in the area are completely overwhelmed by the high demand and expect that the completion of all repairs will take extraordinary long, increasing the likelihood of consequential damage from everyday weather conditions,” AIR said.

The final insured loss number is likely to move higher, as many residents were away on holiday and didn’t report losses in time for preliminary estimate reports, AIR also noted.