Much of the Midwest has experienced heavy rain, high winds,flooding, hail, tornadoes, lightning and other destructive weatherover the past few weeks.

A hailstorm hit San Antonio, Texas, in mid-April, peltinggrapefruit-size hail on vehicles and homes. The Insurance Councilof Texas estimated damage to homes at $800 million and vehicledamage at $560 million.

One week later, more than 1,000 homes were flooded and parts ofHouston, Texas, were under a mandatory evacuation as the ColoradoRiver flooded multiple neighborhoods. More than $5 billion indamage was reported as 9 million residents were under a flash floodwatch. A state of emergency was declared in nine counties, and therain continued to fall. At least eight people lost their lives andofficials were worried that area dams were at “extremely highrisk.” More than 100,000 customers lost power and hundreds offlights were canceled.

Mississippi was next in line as the same line of storms that hitHouston dumped almost 12 inches of rain in five hours, floodingstreams, rivers and streets. Hardest hit were Gulfport, Biloxi andD'Iberville where residents and businesses owners were stranded and70 people were rescued.

During the last week of April, storms produced a series of EF1tornadoes across Oklahoma and Arkansas. Meteorologistsestimated that as many as 12 tornadoes may have touched down duringthe storms.

April was a costly month

On a May 5 conference call, Thomas J. Wilson, chairman and CEOof Allstate Corp., said the company had 1,200 adjusters on theground in Texas in the hardest hit areas, and that the company hadexperienced its most severe hailstorm loss ever with two stormsthat hit the state earlier last month.

Aon Benfield's catastrophe model development team has said thatApril was the “costliest for five years in terms of economic andinsured losses for natural disasters,” based on its GlobalCatastrophe Report, which evaluates natural disasters worldwide.Total economic losses are expected to exceed $1 billion for theflooding that occurred in Houston, Texas alone.

Property Claims Services (PCS) concurs in its first quarterCatastrophe Review, saying it “was the worst first quarter in adecade in terms of catastrophe frequency and severity.” The reportfound that U.S. catastrophe activity reached $3.8 billion in thefirst quarter, up from $3.6 billion for the same period in 2015.The number of catastrophe events for the quarter increased by morethan 40%.

The 13 catastrophe events PCS identified for the first quarterof 2016 resulted in $3.8 billion in insured losses, and two moreunder investigation could be added to the list. Texas had thegreatest losses at $1.9 billion and five identified catastropheevents. California had four events estimated at $240 million, andIllinois had two events that totaled $210 million in damages.Altogether, 29 states were affected by catastrophe activity duringthe first quarter.

And if hurricane researchers are correct, insurers could be infor an active season. Researchers at North Carolina State predict15 to 18 named storms, 8 to 11 hurricanes, and three to five majorstorms. The Colorado State University Meteorological Project had aslightly lower projection with 12 named storms and five hurricanes(including two major ones in the Atlantic).

Related: What will the 2016 Atlantic hurricane seasonbring?

While the El Nino weather pattern has helped to keep theformation of major storms in check for the past few years, thesystem is expected to be replaced halfway through the 2016hurricane season (which begins June 1) with a La Nina pattern,which usually means more moisture in the Atlantic Ocean, making iteasier for storms to form and grow. However, as insurers learnedwith Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, it only takes one makinglandfall to generate billions in losses.

Here is a look at some of the damage residents across thecountry have experienced over the past few weeks:

Grapefruit-sized hail did extensive damage to roofs andbuildings in Wiley, Texas. (Photo: JenkinsRestorations)

High winds and hail caused a record $1.3 billion in damageacross much of the San Antonio area. (Photo: JenkinsRestorations)

A commercial rooftop air conditioning unit that sustainedmajor hail damage. (Photo: HVACi)

Rising flood waters cover a baseball field in Houston,Texas. (Photo: Belfor Property Restoration)

More than 1,000 homes were flooded in Harris County, Texas,and over 900 water rescues were reported in Houston. (Photo:BelforProperty Restoration)

A person paddles through a flooded neighborhood, April 19,2016, in Spring, Texas. Storms dumped more than a foot of rain inthe Houston area, flooding dozens of neighborhoods. (Photo: DavidJ. Phillip/AP Photo)

Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate theirapartment complex April 18, 2016, in Houston. Storms dumped morethan a foot of rain in the Houston area, flooding dozens ofneighborhoods and forcing the closure of city offices and thesuspension of public transit. (Photo: David J. Phillip/APPhoto)

Related: 7 things to do to prepare for hurricaneseason

Learn more about preparing for catastrophes at America's Claims Event (ACE),June 22-24 in Minneapolis. From technology to customer service tofraud and litigation, this two-day networking and educationalconference is designed for claimsprofessionals. Register to attend and save$350.