What natural events cost

The weather in Switzerland in recent weeks has not exactly been kind: severe storms and flooding in some places have not only kept the population and emergency services on their toes - the losses for insurers have also run into millions. Allianz Suisse alone expects the hailstorm "Elvira" at the end of May and the storm "Friederike" at the beginning of June to result in around 3,000 claims and a total loss of around 10 million Swiss francs.

Although the extent of the damage was nowhere near as great as in many parts of Germany, France or Austria, after the storm is before the next storm in Switzerland, too. The climate in Switzerland is strongly influenced by the Alps, the most important weather divide in Central Europe, with large climatic differences in a small area. This results in severe thunderstorms with hailstones the size of tennis balls, torrential rain and heavy storms, which often leave behind a picture of devastation, especially in the summer months. Yet June 2016 doesn't even stand out that much in a ten-year comparison, even though it is considered one of the wettest months since weather records began. This is shown by the natural hazard calendar of Allianz Suisse, for which the loss figures of the past ten years were analyzed.

Hailstorms and floods are the most expensive
Since 2006, Allianz Suisse has recorded around 200,000 claims caused by natural events such as hail, floods, storms, lightning, avalanches and earthquakes, according to claims statistics. The total amount of damage was around 640 million Swiss francs, almost exactly half of which was caused by hailstorms (around 320 million Swiss francs in 96,000 claims), while floods accounted for around 170 million Swiss francs in 42,000 claims. Storm (around 55 million Swiss francs in 17,000 claims) and lightning (around 32 million Swiss francs in 21,000 claims) played the most important roles. At the bottom of the ranking are earthquake losses, with a loss expenditure of 120,000 Swiss francs in 51 claims over the past ten years.

And a glance at the calendar reveals that the years 2009 and 2013 in particular were the most loss-intensive for Allianz Suisse in a ten-year comparison - with insured losses of more than 85 million Swiss francs in each case. "Due to global warming, the humidity in the atmosphere is becoming greater and greater - which is why we expect a further increase in severe storms in the future," explains Markus Deplazes, Head of Claims at Allianz Suisse.

July is record month
More than a third of the natural events occur in July alone; Ticino and the canton of Berne are most frequently affected
These severe storms occur most frequently when Mr. and Mrs. Swiss want it least - in the summer months of June and July, which account for more than half of the natural events (around 110,000). And for those who are already looking forward to a refreshing dip in the lake at midsummer temperatures: the probability of a storm is greatest in July due to the numerous heat storms - with a total of 70,000 natural events, July occupies the lonely top spot at Allianz Suisse. Incidentally, the months with the lowest number of natural events in a long-term comparison are November (approx. 4,700 claims), February (approx. 6,200 claims) and October (approx. 6,500 claims).

And what the claims statistics also reveal: most claims due to natural events are reported to Allianz Suisse from the cantons of Berne and Ticino (approx. 25,000 claims each), followed by Zurich (approx. 23,000 claims). From an insurer's point of view, the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden brings up the rear in this cantonal ranking, with only 86 claims since 2006 - although with around 16,000 inhabitants, it is also the least populous canton in Switzerland.

(Source: Allianz Suisse)