Since 2005, PCS has designated 17 catastrophes during the month of January, including 12 winter storms and four wind and thunderstorm events. January storms during that period caused $6 billion in insured losses.
The largest January winter storm since 2005 was the recent CAT 32, designated in 2014. It involved 17 states and had an estimated insured loss of $1.7 billion.
The most active year for January catastrophe frequency was 2005, with three catastrophes resulting in $645 million in insured damages.
January 2014 had nearly $1.9 billion in insured losses and 185,000 claims. The month saw two major winter storm events, including CAT 31 and the polar vortex within CAT 32, which caused $170 million and $1.7 billion in insured losses, respectively.
The following graphs illustrate catastrophe activity in loss dollars and claim volume for the month of January from 2005 to the present.
