Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

August hailstorms are Minnesota’s latest ‘billion dollar weather disaster’

National Night Out 2013 turned into a night to "take cover" in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. It also turned out to be Minnesota's contribution the the 6th "billion-dollar weather disaster" in the United States this year.

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Rotating supercell moves through Minnesota on August 6th. Image: Used with permission from John Wetter

A series of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail raced across Minnesota on Aug. 6. The violent supercells produced widespread hail damage to roofs and cars, and considerable wind damage. The storms raced along the Intersate-94 corridor from south of Fargo into the southwest part of the Twin Citiesmetro area. Here are the radar based hail tracks and storm reports from the Twin Cities National Weather Service.

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Image: Twin Cities NWS

The storms caused widespread hail damage to crops, roofs and vehicles. High winds over 70 mph downed numerous large trees in Deephaven and the west metro.

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Huge trees down in Deephaven in the west metro August 6th. Image: Paul Huttner MPR News

Golf ball to tennis ball sized hailstones blew out dozens of car windshields in Eden Prairie.

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Police car windshield blown out by large hail in Eden Prairie. Image: Eden Prairie Police

The combined storm damages from the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin turned out to be in the $1-billion range according to the August 2013 Catastrophe Report from insurance broker Aon Benfield. It was the 6th billion dollar weather disaster in the United States this year. Colorado's record floods near Boulder will be the 7th with preliminary damages estimated to be around $2 billion.

Weather Underground's Jeff Masters elaborates on the list of the 25 billion dollar weather disasters worldwide so far in 2013.

The world-wide tally of billion-dollar weather disasters so far in 2013 is 25, and the U.S. total is six, according to theAugust 2013 Catastrophe Report from insurance broker Aon Benfield. This excludes the September Colorado flood, whose damages are preliminarily estimated at $2 billion. Ranked in term of cost, here are the 25 disasters:

1) Flooding, Central Europe, 5/30 - 6/6, $22 billion

2) Drought, Brazil, 1/1 - 5/31, $8.3 billion

3) Drought, Central and Eastern China, 1/1 - 7/31, $6.0 billion

4) Flooding, Calgary, Alberta Canada, 6/19 - 6/24, $5.3 billion

5) Flooding, China, 8/9 - 9/5, $5.0 billion

6) Tornado, Moore, OK, and associated U.S. severe weather, 5/18 - 5/22, $4.5 billion

6) Flooding, China, 7/7 - 7/17, $4.5 billion

8) Flooding, Indonesia, 1/20 - 1/27, $3.31 billion

9) Super Typhoon Utor, China and Philippines, 8/12 - 8/15, $2.6 billion

10) Flooding, Australia, 1/21 - 1/30, $2.5 billion

11) Flooding, Philippines, 8/18 - 8/21, $2.2 billion

12 Tornadoes and severe weather, U.S., 5/26 - 6/2, $2 billion

12) Severe weather, Midwest U.S., 3/18 - 3/20, $2 billion

14) Flooding, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 8/3 - 8/31, $1.9 billion

15) Winter weather, Europe, 3/12 - 3/31, $1.8 billion

16) Drought, New Zealand, 1/1 - 5/10, $1.6 billion

16) Severe weather, U.S., 4/7 - 4/11, $1.6 billion

18) Flooding, Toronto, Canada, 7/8, $1.45 billion

19) Flooding, China, 6/29 - 7/3, $1.4 billion

19) Flooding, China, 7/21 - 7/25, $1.4 billion

21) Flooding, Argentina, 4/2 - 4/4, $1.3 billion

22) Flooding, India and Nepal, 6/14 - 6/18, $1.1 billion

23) Winter weather, U.S. Plains, Midwest, Northeast, 2/24 - 2/27, $1.0 billion

23) Severe weather, U.S. Plains and Midwest, 8/5 - 8/7, $1.0 billion

23) Flooding, Russia, 8/4 - 8/31, $1.0 billion

Insurance companies with U.S. exposure have caught a break so far with the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. Many eyes are watching to see how the rest of the season unfolds.