More than 38,000 policyholders have filed storm-related claims with State Farm and American Family Insurance following severe weather systems that struck a wide stretch of the United States earlier in March, the companies said.
State Farm reported more than 35,000 claims tied to the tornado-spawning storms, up from 13,000 reported in the days prior, the insurer said in a statement. The figure is expected to continue rising. The storms stretched from Texas to Pennsylvania, with the greatest number of claims concentrated in Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri. Hail and strong winds caused most of the damage, State Farm said.
American Family Insurance recorded 3,400 claims from the March 5-11 storm systems, spokesperson Brandon Harrison said. The company deployed a mobile claims team to Bradley, Illinois, in Kankakee County. Northern Illinois was hit by extreme and likely record-breaking hail. Aon estimated industry insured losses in the billions of dollars, BestWire reported.
A fresh round of winter storms and blizzards from March 14-16 also affected a large portion of the country. The National Weather Service reported straight-line winds, thundersnow, and thundersleet in north-central states. Building collapses were reported in Wisconsin, where heavy snow loads followed high-wind storms, the NWS said. Travel was broadly disrupted, with widespread flight cancellations and power outages. Strong winds and driving rain also struck the East Coast.
Severe convective storms have surpassed tropical cyclones as the costliest insured peril of the 21st century, generating $61 billion in global insured losses in 2025 alone, according to Aon’s 2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight report.
Between January and September 2025, the US experienced 39 severe convective storm events, with average insured losses exceeding $1 billion per event, according to Moody’s analysis. Average per-event costs were 31% higher than the previous decade.
Kansas alone felt the weight of the trend. Severe storms in the state caused $879 million in insurance claims in 2025, nearly double the $442 million paid out in 2023, the Kansas Department of Insurance said. More than 82,000 total storm claims were reported statewide.
The mounting losses are pushing premiums higher nationwide. US home insurance premiums are projected to rise 4% to an average of $3,057 in 2026, following a 12% jump in 2025, according to Insurify. Since 2021, premiums have climbed 46% - roughly three times the rate of inflation.
