Lightning Caused $952M in U.S. Insurance Claims in 2022

More than $950 million in lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims were paid out in 2022 to 62,000-plus policyholders, with $125 million of the total attributable to California alone, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I.).

Severe convective storms are among the most common, most damaging natural catastrophes in the United States. The result of warm, moist air rising from the earth, they manifest in various ways, depending on atmospheric conditions -- from drenching thunderstorms with lightning, to tornadoes, hail, or destructive straight-line winds.

Florida -- the state with the most thunderstorms -- saw the greatest number of lightning claims in the U.S. in 2022, with 5,504. California, however, had the highest average cost per claim at $36,319, followed by Texas with $25,286.