Recent Colorado Storm Caused Estimated $70M in Insured Damage

The first major Colorado hail and wind storm of 2010 carries an estimated insurance price tag of $70 million, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA).

Approximately 13,600 auto and homeowners insurance claims have been filed since baseball-sized hail and high winds caused widespread damage to vehicles and homes around Brighton, Commerce City and other communities in the northeast metro area, as well as some damage in Pueblo. This is a preliminary estimate that may change as people continue to file claims.

“This storm is just round one of severe weather season in Colorado, as we enter into what is really considered the peak hail and tornado months of June and July,” says Carole Walker, executive director of the RMIIA.

Last year, Colorado experienced the most costly severe weather season in its history, with claims totaling more than $1.4 billion in insured damage. One July storm ranked as the state’s most expensive insured disaster in actual insurance claims paid out with insured losses totaling $768 million in claims resulting from damage to vehicles and homes.

The updated damage estimate makes it the most expensive catastrophe season in Colorado, topping a 45-minute hail storm that caused $625 million in damage on July 11, 1990.

Source: RMIIA