France: Wildfire - Representing the most significant fire of the French summer season so far, a fast-moving wildfire has burned already 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) since August 5 in a large area between Toulouse and Montpellier. The event claimed at least one life, caused injuries to nine others, and forced evacuations across multiple communes. The total damage of at least 25 houses and 30 vehicles is likely to reach tens of millions of USD.
Western & Northern Europe: Windstorm Floris - Unseasonably strong winds affected parts of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway on August 4-5 as a result of windstorm Floris, named by the UK Met Office. The bulk of the impact occurred in Scotland, as gusts up to 82 mph (132 kph) were recorded in exposed locations. Impacts were largely limited to minor property damage and disruption to utility services, traffic and event cancellation. Overall impact to insurers will likely be in the lower tens of millions GBP, Aon estimates.
Italy, Slovenia: Severe Convective Storm - Passage of a short-wave trough over the Po Valley and the Alpine region resulted in notable hail hazard in parts of northern Italy and Slovenia on August 1-2. Very large hail with diameters of up to 10 cm (3.9 inch) was recorded northwest of Celje in central Slovenia. Significant hailstorm also affected the vicinity of Vicenza and Padova in Veneto region of Italy. Total economic and insured losses were initially expected to reach into the tens of millions EUR.
Turkey: Earthquake - On August 10, several Turkish provinces, particularly Balıkesir and the Manisa province, experienced a magnitude-6.1 earthquake, which caused injuries to about 50 people and moderate structural damage across the affected region. According to the initial damage assessments, total economic losses are expected to reach at least into the tens of millions USD, pending future loss development. USGS PAGER methodology puts potential losses even higher. Insured losses are anticipated to be considerably lower. However, they may still be substantial due to the relatively high insurance penetration in the Balıkesir province within the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool.
Europe: Heatwave – In the week 8-15 August, most of Europe experienced a significant heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) in several countries. Extreme temperatures driven by a persistent heat dome broke numerous all-time temperature records and impacted many individuals and businesses. Maximum temperatures surpassed 40 °C (104 °F) in parts of Spain, France, Portugal, as well as in southeastern Europe during the early part of the week. By mid-week, this heatwave extended into Central Europe, with temperatures reaching the upper 30s in Germany, Czechia, Poland, and other areas. Some locations saw air temperature over 10 °C (18 °F) higher compared to the long-term average. Since excessive heat causes more fatalities than any other weather-related hazard, the death toll from recent European heatwave is subject to further analyses.
See the complete Aon reports here (1-8 August) and here (8- 15 August).
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