Another week, another round of damaging weather across the U.S.
According to Aon Benfield's weekly severe weather report, there were nearly 1,350 local storm reports this week, including 71 reported tornadoes, 962 reports of damaging winds and 295 reports of hail. Severe weather activity was seen in more than a dozen states this week, with large hail and strong winds being common themes.
In terms of damage, golf ball-sized hail pounded parts of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas for several days, resulting in shattered windows, punctured roofs and downed trees. Most of the tornadoes that touched down in the U.S. this week were in rural areas so damage reports were minimal. So far this year, tornadoes have caused about $9 billion U.S. worth of damage, about $5 billion of which has been covered by insurance.
International report
The situation was more severe in Europe this week, where damaging storms led to reports of baseball-sized hail (up to 2.75 inches) in parts of Germany and France and 90-mph winds. In the Bordeaux region of southern France, more than 2,400 acres of vineyards were damaged by hail this week, leading local officials to declare a state of natural catastrophe for agricultural producers. Most of the family-run vineyards in the region are uninsured.
Flooding continued in northern Afghanistan this week as heavy spring rains have so far killed 150 in the region this year. In Brazil, site of the World Cup soccer tournament this week, floods killed 11 people in the south of the country and a state of emergency was declared.
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