Widespread damage from tornadoes, strong winds and large hail across parts of the U.S. May 23-30 will likely add hundreds of millions of dollars in losses to an already costly severe convective storm season, according to a report Friday from Aon PLC.
The latest sequence of storm outbreaks resulted in significant material damage across multiple states, particularly in the southern and central Plains, Aon said.
At least 23 people died as multiple fatal tornadoes affected parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky during the period. Notable hail and wind-related damage occurred in Dallas on May 27, Aon said.
An EF3-rated (Enhanced Fujita Scale) tornado that hit Montague, Cooke and Denton counties in northern Texas on the evening of May 25 resulted in seven fatalities, left about 100 injured and caused notable damage.
Several other EF3-rated tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky. A tornado in Rogers County, Oklahoma, on May 25 left two people dead and 23 injured, and on May 26, several fatal tornadoes left four people dead in Boone and Marion counties, Arkansas.
Additional damage was caused by large hail, with hailstones of up to 3.25 inches in diameter reported in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area on May 27.
This year currently runs as one of the busiest on record in terms of tornado activity year-to-date, Aon said.
