The US insurance industry expects a multi-billion-dollar bill for thunderstorm-related claims payouts after hail the size of baseballs struck highly populated areas of Texas and Oklahoma last month.

Aon’s latest monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluates the impact of natural disaster events worldwide during April, says a cold snap in Europe also brought economic damage in excess of €5 billion ($7.83 billion), most notably in France and Italy.

It also notes the Insurance Council of Australia declared a catastrophe after Cyclone Seroja made landfall in WA on April 11, leading to potential reconstruction costs of up to $200 million.

That storm also triggered flash flooding and massive landslides in Indonesia and Timor-Leste between April 3-5, resulting in at least 272 fatalities. More than 71,000 homes and other structures sustained damage in Indonesia alone. Total economic cost was estimated at $US475 million ($614.98 million).

Multiple US thunderstorm outbreaks left considerable damage to residential and commercial property, vehicles and agriculture. In a particularly damaging sequence, hail larger than baseballs impacted San Antonio and Fort Worth in Texas and Norman in Oklahoma.

Total economic losses from these three areas alone are expected to well exceed $US1 billion ($1.29 billion).

MD at Aon’s Impact Forecasting division Steve Bowen says large hail – not tornado damage as many assume – typically accounts for the majority of thunderstorm-related losses in North America during any given year.

“April 2021 was a case in point,” he said. “The month featured the lowest number of US tornadoes for April since 1992 yet a multi-billion-dollar damage bill is anticipated following extensive hail.”

As more people move into high-risk areas for severe convective storms, costs associated with hail “will only grow in the future,” he said.

Elsewhere, numerous European locations experienced record April lows, with temperatures well below freezing and late spring frost damaging to viticulture, fruit trees and other vegetation.

In Colombia, a combination of flooding and landslides killed 52 and damaged or destroyed more than 9300 homes.

Flash flooding caused significant damage in Angola, killing 24 and displacing more than 11,000.