Usgs.gov data has recently highlighted that the increase in global temperatures will impact the intensity of storms and the possibility of more droughts in the future. With this in mind, home insurance experts Swinton Insurance have researched into the increases of storms over the past 20 years, revealing some significant findings.
Key Findings
- From the years (2000-2010) to (2011-2020) we’ve seen an increase of 500% in storms going from 4 recorded storms in 10 years to 24 recorded storms in the last 10 years.
- There has been a 20% increase on YOY storms with the possibility of that increasing before the years out.
- From 2017 to 2018, storms have jumped by 4000% from 1 storm recorded in 2017 to 5 storms recorded in 2018
- The most significant rise in storm frequency occurred in the last 3 years with a 166% rise in storms going from 6 recorded storms between 2015-2017 to 16 recorded storms between 2018-2020.
- £4.2 billion total costs of damage to the UK since 2000-2020
- 74 recorded fatalities from 2000-2020
| 2000-2010 | ||||
| Year | Name | Winds | Fatalities | Cost of damage |
| 2000 | Cyclone Oratia | 150 mph | 16 | £50 million |
| 2005 | Birmingham Tornado | 137 mph | 0 | £40 million |
| 2006 | 70 mph | 0 | £10 million | |
| 2007 | London Tornado | 81 mph | 13 | £2.3 billion |
| 2011-2020 | ||||
| Year | Name | Winds | Fatality | Cost of damage |
| 2011 | Hurricane Katia | 75 mph | 4 | £100 million |
| 2014 | Hurricane Bertha | 104 mph | 4 | £88.6 million |
| 2015 | Storm Desmond | 81 mph | 3 | £500 million |
| 2015 | Storm Frank | 85 mph | 3 | £280 million |
| 2016 | Storm Imogen | 100 mph | 0 | £80 million |
| 2016 | Storm Angus | 80 mph | 2 | £73 million |
| 2016 | Storm Doris | 94 mph | 3 | £400 million |
| 2017 | Storm Gertrude | 100 mph | 0 | £80 million |
| 2018 | Storm Hector | 69 moh | 0 | – |
| 2018 | Storm Ali | 69 mph | 2 | £250,000,000 |
| 2018 | Storm Deirdre | 69 mph | 0 | – |
| 2018 | Storm Bronagh | 78 mph | 2 | – |
| 2018 | Storm Callum | 69 mph | 0 | £16,000,000 |
| 2019 | Storm Erik | 58 mph | 0 | – |
| 2019 | Storm Ciara | 97 mph | 13 | £180,000,000 |
| 2019 | Storm Hannah | 69 mph | 0 | – |
| 2019 | Storm Gareth | 69 mph | 0 | – |
| 2019 | Storm Dennis | 90 mph | 5 | £180,000,000 |
| 2020 | Storm Francis | 70 mph | – | – |
| 2020 | Storm Brendan | 90 mph | 0 | – |
| 2020 | Storm Atiyah | 58 mph | 0 | – |
| 2020 | Storm Ellen | 81 mph | 4 | £90000 |
| 2020 | Storm Jorge | 69 mph | 0 | – |
| 2020 | Storm Alex | 87 mph | – | – |
| (Total Storms) 28 | (Total Fatalities) 74 | (Total Cost Of Damage) £4,267,600,000 | ||
Swinton Insurance states that the cost of storm damage to homes and businesses every year in the UK is at least £300 million, on average. But, in years when exceptional storms hit, the cost can be much higher. With this in mind, it’s important to storm proof your home by making sure the following advice is taken into consideration.
- Check your roof for any signs of ageing, such as cracks or misaligned tiles.
- Keep gutters, drainpipes and drains clear of blockages – this will ensure rainwater has somewhere to go and is less likely to build into a flood.
- Check the condition of trees close to your home and consider removing any that could potentially fall onto your house or car.
- Check the condition of trees close to your home and consider removing any that could potentially fall onto your house or car.
- If you’re in a flood risk area, consider taking out home insurance that covers you against floods and storms.
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