San Antonio hail storm Texas’ costliest, council says
San Antonio’s April 12 hail storm was one for the record books.
Last week’s storm and its baseball-sized hail that shuttered some local businesses and pummeled cars throughout the region has produced $1.36 billion in estimated insured losses so far, making it the costliest hail storm by dollars in Texas history, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.
San Antonio-based insurance giant USAA processed 16,500 property and 28,000 auto claims from the storm as of midday Wednesday. Losses among all insurers to automobiles in San Antonio are expected to reach $560 million, while damage to homes is expected to approach $800 million, the insurance trade group said. More than 110,000 vehicles were damaged, and thousands of homes suffered roof damage.
The violent storm rained jagged ice chunks that were as much as 4½ inches in diameter for up to 10 minutes in some areas. The state’s most expensive hailstorm caused an estimated $1.1 billion in damage in Fort Worth in 1995.
Forth Worth still holds that title if adjusting for inflation. Damage would have cost $1.6 billion in today’s dollars, the Insurance Council of Texas reported Wednesday.
The most expensive weather event in Texas history was Hurricane Ike in 2008, which produced $13.04 billion in damages.
The hailstorm left a trail of damage across the north side of San Antonio, mainly along a path between suburbs Helotes, Converse and Kirby. Cars were totaled across the region, including hundreds of luxury vehicles at BMW of San Antonio. The storm sent hail chunks and rain through roofs and skylights in homes, at the North Star Mall and and in at least one H-E-B grocery store.