© CBSHail left holes in a car parked at the Colorado Mills
The ferocious hailstorm that battered the Denver area earlier this month, pummeling cars and houses, may end up as the costliest ever recorded in Colorado, insurance officials said.
The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association estimates the preliminary insurance losses to be at about $1.4 billion, which would exceed the $845.5 million storm of July 20, 2009, and the $1.1 billion storm of July 11, 1990, after costs are adjusted to reflect the current dollar.
The hail damage led to more than an
estimated 150,000 auto insurance claims and 50,000 homeowners insurance claims to be filed, according to
KUSA-TV."The enormous size of the hail hitting densely populated areas of the Denver-Metro during rush hour contributed to the magnitude of damage caused by this storm," Carole Walker of the insurance association told KUSA.
Comment: Other severe hailstorms from around the world in recent months include:
- Unusual hailstorm blankets Central Mexican city with up to 50 centimeters of ice
- Freak hailstorm rips through town in New South Wales, Australia
- Freak hailstorm hits drought stricken Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Mounds of hail pile up after storm pounds Safford, Arizona
It is likely that atmospheric dust loading from increased comet and volcanic activity is contributing to these 'unusual' or 'freak' hailstorms, the cooling effect of which causes ice crystals to form.