National Report

Two days of severe weather in the Denver area left insurers with a bill for $146.5 million, making the event Colorado’s fourth most costly insurance catastrophe on record, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. From June 8 to 9, golf-ball and baseball-sized hail battered the Front Range. The hail and high winds damaged cars and homes, while heavy rain and hail flooded streets and basements. The foul weather culminated with a tornado the night of June 9. By mid-June insurers had received 48,000 claims, including 27,393 auto claims and 20,483 homeowner claims. Auto damage is responsible for a majority of the claims, because the hailstorm hit during rush hour, RMIIA noted. “We had a lot of dimpled cars and we also had losses from hail going through the windows,” said Carole Walker, the association’s executive director. “There were a lot of car dealerships that were hit.