A widespread severe convective storm (SCS) across Europe between July 10 and 17, 2026 could cause significant economic and insurance losses, with total financial losses expected to be at least hundreds of millions of euros, and as damage assessments continue, the sequence has the potential to become a multi-billion euro industry event, according to a recently published report by Aon. Weekly Cat Report.
Aon explained in the report that the damage was mainly caused by hail, but also affected by strong winds and localized flash flooding, with most of the damage concentrated in France and Germany.
The report highlights that, apart from property damage, agriculture is expected to be the largest cause of economic losses.
In Germany alone, agricultural insurance company Vereinigte Hagel reported that some 100,000 hectares (247,100 acres) of farmland were damaged, with losses expected to be at least €50 million.
However, it should be noted that damage assessment is still ongoing and loss estimates may change as more claim information becomes available.
According to event details, between July 10 and 17, there was a strong ridge of high pressure in northwestern Europe between the British Isles and Scandinavia, shrouding a humid hot air mass over western and central Europe.
This resulted in a series of severe thunderstorms in a complex trough and convergence zone over parts of western and central Europe. As highlighted before, material damage was mainly caused by large hailstones.
In addition, Aon explained that while there were some locally severe storms between July 10 and 11 that caused damage to several provinces in France and northern Italy, the majority of the damage occurred during the thunderstorm sequence in Western and Central Europe from July 13 to 17.
Hannover, Germany, suffered the most costly event on July 13, and on July 14, as the storm activity further expanded, it brought more scattered impacts to the southern region (Nuremberg, Augsburg, Ansbach), the French Basin-Rhine department, and northern Italy.
Meanwhile, on July 15, most of the hail damage during the damaging storm occurred in the French departments of Côte d’Or, Ardèche, Gironde and Charente-Maritime.
On July 16, severe thunderstorms and large hail once again affected France, Switzerland and southern Germany. The new wave of activity brings additional economic and insurance implications to central Switzerland, parts of Germany (Ulm, Tübingen, Freiburg) and France (Loire, Charente-Maritime, Haute-Rhine, Moselle).
Aon explained that further storm activity is expected on July 17, with most of it concentrated in the Alps.
