What western Canadian storms in Summer 2025 cost the P&C industry

Hailstorms and wildfires in Western Canada caused roughly $725 million in insured damage in Summer 2025, according to estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc (CatIQ).

This total includes $235 million in insured damage caused by severe storms that swept across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in late August.

It also encompasses $164 million in insured damage caused by a July 13 Calgary hailstorm, as well as roughly $360 million in claims losses caused by the La Ronge, Flin Flon, Lac du Bonnet and Shoe wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Alberta took the brunt of the severe weather losses on Aug. 20-21, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reports. Damage to vehicles accounted for one-third of the costs.

The Prairie storms brought large hail, strong winds, and torrential rain along a path beginning in southern Alberta and stretching across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Tornadoes touched down in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL) dispatched three teams to examine the impact of the storms. It said the first of two storms storm began south of Diamond Valley, Alta. (part of the Calgary Metropolitan region), in the afternoon of Aug. 20, 2025. The second storm, a cluster of supercell thunderstorms, initially formed near North Battleford, Sask.

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The storms reportedly featured hailstones the size of tennis balls and baseballs, blown around by wind gusts reaching between 120 km/h and 165 km/h for about 20 minutes or more.

One of the two hailstorms tore a line of damage, dubbed a “hail scar,” about 420 km long from Brant, Alta., to Beechy Provincial Pasture in Saskatchewan, CSSL researchers told CTV News.

“Countless windows were blown out, with many structures with unsheltered west-facing windows suffering one or more complete breaches, resulting in wind, hail, rain and glass entering buildings and damaging contents,” CTV News reported, citing the CSSL. “Roofs suffered a combination of wind and wind-driven hail damage. Asphalt shingles and underlays were heavily damaged by the hail and pulled up by the winds.

“Metal roofs in the area notably suffered severely from these combined impacts, displacing, denting, or removing roof cover panels and resulting in water intrusion.”

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The hardest-hit communities included Brooks, Alta.; Radisson, Langham and North Battleford, Sask.; and Portage la Prairie, Man., Insurance Bureau of Canada reported.

“Many people in the path of this devastating storm had their lives disrupted and property damaged,” said Aaron Sutherland, vice president of IBC’s pacific and western region. “Insurers continue to help residents and businesses recover and rebuild from this storm, and ensure every claim is resolved.”

David Gambrill

David has twice served as Canadian Underwriter’s senior editor, both from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2017 to the present.