How To Protect Your Home From Extreme Weather

Climate change remains a hot topic, and multiple authoritative assessments conclude that human-caused warming is unequivocally amplifying several extremes (including heavy precipitation, extreme heat, and the proportion of intense tropical cyclones) and raising sea levels, which increases coastal flooding; scientists have taken an interest in how these changes affect the intensity and likelihood of future weather-related events.

Natural disasters — whether predicted or not — expose the susceptibility and risks of our homes and communities. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, many U.S. extremes are becoming more frequent and/or intense. Since 1980, the U.S. has recorded a rapidly rising number of billion‑dollar disasters, with a record 28 in 2023 and another record in 2024; cumulative losses now exceed $2.7 trillion. NOAA’s database of billion‑dollar disasters documents this acceleration, and weather-related events pose a risk to our economy, infrastructure, and property.

No matter if you’re a homeowner or shopping for your first home, keeping up with the chances of a weather event in your area is essential. Just as dramatic weather events are on the rise, so are the number and severity of property insurance claims. Claims filed because of natural disasters are also a loss for the insurance company. This means insurance companies determine what areas to write in and price its premiums with risk in mind, which can limit options and drive up costs for homeowners. It won’t impact all homeowners equally. Even still, you should take the time to identify your risk, translate it into potential costs, and make an informed decision about an insurance policy. This guide will walk you through the regional environmental risks, how they impact your insurance, and what you can do to protect yourself.

How is Your Home Affected?

Our homes are one of our most valuable assets, so protecting them should be at the top of everyone’s list. When shopping for the right insurance policy, look carefully at risk assessments and make sure you’re prepared both personally and financially for the possibility of a natural disaster. Think about where you live and what disasters have happened in the past. Were you prepared then? Are you better prepared now? Without the right coverage, you may not be able to put in a claim to recover what you’ve lost. You could even find yourself in a position where you’re unable to rebuild your home.

As the possibility of homes being damaged or destroyed by extreme weather increases, so do insurance premiums. In some high‑risk regions, multiple carriers have tightened underwriting, restricted new business, or withdrawn certain coverages. The rise in premiums, and the shrinking coverage options, is a serious cause of concern to homeowners. The options left are often more than some can pay.

Lower-income communities are especially vulnerable to weather-related events. Even if they live in a high-risk area and want to prepare for the worst, financially, they may be unable to do so. Increased premiums can make additional private insurance coverage unobtainable. Thankfully, some government insurance programs offer support but may not be able to rebuild all properties in the event of a disaster.

Where is the Risk Higher?

What disasters you plan most for depend at least partly on where you live. Let’s take a closer look at the various natural disasters threatening the U.S., including the places they mostly occur, how they can affect your home, and some recent insurance loss statistics:

Floods

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flooding is involved in the vast majority of U.S. disasters. Scientists in the extreme event attribution field now routinely quantify how warming increases the intensity of heavy precipitation, and research has linked climate change’s impact to flood‑risk factors. Not only can flooding cause serious structural damage to your home, but it can also damage the personal property in your home as well. Use this cost estimator from FEMA to estimate how much water damage in your home would cost.

For those who live in a flood zone, lender rules typically require coverage for mortgages on buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas, and premiums now vary widely under FEMA’s property‑specific Risk Rating 2.0 framework; older rule‑of‑thumb averages (like generic estimates) may not reflect your situation. FEMA has an excellent online resource tool to help determine if your home is in a low-, moderate-, or high-risk area for flooding. It’s worth noting that flooding also occurs outside high‑risk areas, so protecting your home at every level is recommended.

Hurricanes

Hurricane season spans from June 1 to November 30, with a peak in mid-August to mid-September. Knowing when hurricanes are most likely to strike, when a storm is predicted for your area, and how to prepare will put you in the best spot to save yourself and your home. Storm surges are coastal floods that pose the greatest threat of any hurricane hazard. Given low-lying coastal zones are the most susceptible, hurricanes also bring serious flooding and water damage.

Flooding isn’t the only issue hurricanes bring. During its peak, winds can reach up to 200 mph. Your home insurance policy may cover some damage associated with wind, though most will not cover the full extent of hurricane damage. If you live in a vulnerable area, adding windstorm insurance to your home isn’t a bad idea. The modern Atlantic baseline is 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes per season (1991–2020), and NOAA’s 2024 Atlantic season summary notes above‑average activity with high‑impact U.S. landfalls.

Top two costliest hurricanes of 2018-2019	Insured and National Flood Insurance Program estimated losses
Hurricane Michael	$8 billion – $13 billion
Hurricane Dorian	$500 million – $1.6 billion

Wildfires

The U.S. Department of Interior suggests 85% of wildfires in the U.S. are started by people. These types of wildfires can escalate from: unattended campfires, downed power lines, burning debris, discarded cigarettes, and arson. The remaining 15% of wildfires are most often started by lightning and lava. Warming temperatures and drought conditions — driven in part by climate change — are contributing to wildfire risk by drying vegetation and increasing high fire‑weather days, as attribution research has documented. Vegetation and homes may burn down entirely, or be partially damaged, by the heat and smoke of surrounding fires. Insurance coverage is crucial for repairing your home.

Analyses over the past few years indicate that millions of U.S. homes are located in a high or extreme risk zone, with large concentrations in western states. Some recent examples include:

Name	Location	Damage	Estimated Insured losses
The Mendocino Complex Fire	Northern California	459,123 acres and 280 structures lost	More than $200 million
The Camp Fire	Northern California	153,000 acres burned and 18,800 structures lost	$8.5 billion to $10.5 billion
Woolsey Fire	Southern California	97,000 acres and 1,600 structures lost	$3 billion to $5 billion

The California Department of Insurance (CA DOI) reported that wildfires in 2018 contributed to 13,654 insurance claims and nearly $11 billion in insurance losses paid out for residential properties alone. The CA DOI recommends homeowners in the state make sure their policies are updated by reviewing their insurance coverage and logging an updated inventory of personal belongings in the event of a loss due to a wildfire.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are not limited to one geographic area. They can happen anywhere across the globe. In the U.S., the long‑term average is about 1,200–1,300 tornadoes per year (U.S. tornado climatology), while Canada experiences only around 100, even though they are the second-highest on the list.

Annual totals vary widely from year to year. NOAA’s records show that 2024 featured multiple large outbreak days, with finalized counts published after quality control. Severe convective storms (including tornadoes, hail, and damaging straight-line winds) frequently account for the largest share of billion‑dollar disasters each year. Strong winds and debris are some of the most dangerous impacts tornadoes have, make sure your insurance policy can accommodate the potential damage.

Earthquakes

In 2019, the earthquakes of Ridgecrest City, California, caused damage adding up to an estimated $200 million – though insurance losses were much lower, at $40 million. This is because fewer than 20% of homeowners in the area had earthquake insurance. Some may think because they don’t live near a fault line, they are shielded from the impact. But don’t write off your risk just yet. Earthquakes and aftershocks can cause serious damage to your home, even if you don’t live near a fault line. While those who live near fault lines are more susceptible, an earthquake can happen anywhere. Oklahoma, for example, has experienced more seismic activity than usual as a result of oil drilling efforts in the area.

What’s Covered by Your Insurance Policy?

Your insurance coverage depends entirely on the policy you chose and what coverage is available in your state. Every homeowner needs to know the ins and outs of their policy. While tornadoes and fire events may be covered by your homeowners insurance, floods and earthquakes are not.

It’s estimated that 95% of homeowners in the U.S. have insurance. However, many people with homeowners insurance aren’t aware flood damage is not included in their coverage. Standard homeowners policies generally exclude flood, and all 50 states have experienced flooding. There are only a few insurance companies that allow you to purchase extra coverage for flood damage. However, most companies don’t offer that option. Thankfully, specialized flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) from FEMA.

Make sure you add any weather-related risk to your coverage from the start. Many companies will not allow you to add additional coverage as a storm approaches, and new NFIP policies generally have a 30‑day waiting period before coverage starts. It’s better to plan ahead than be forced to wait and hope for the best. It’s also not uncommon for insurance providers to require a separate deductible for weather-related claims. Earthquake insurance plans, for example, often have significantly higher deductibles than standard coverage, generally 5% to 15% of the policy limit. Because earthquakes are more frequent and significant in the California region, the not-for-profit CEA (California Earthquake Authority) offers some coverage options, similar to how NFIP operates.

It may not be a bad idea to keep an emergency-weather fund in case the need arises. Make sure you thoroughly read through the terms of your insurance policy and understand what your coverage provides. Standard insurance policies commonly cover:

Covered:	Not covered:
Wind	Floods
Lightning and power surges	Earthquakes
Hail	Hurricane damage for coastal states
Fire	Landslides
Fallen trees	Sinkholes

How are Insurance Companies Affected?

Insurance companies also feel the financial losses of drastic weather events. The amount insurers are paying due to weather-related events continues to rise. One way insurers combat this is to price policies based on risk. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), home insurance rates have increased by over 50% from 2005 to 2015, and they have continued to face upward pressure in many states through 2024–2025 amid elevated catastrophe losses and reinsurance costs. High-risk areas not only come with the threat of natural disasters but high premiums and limited coverage options.

Climate Central suggests insurance companies should take proactive steps to reduce risk, much like how the industry supported smoke detectors or seat belt adoption for safety. Extreme weather is no different. Any proactive steps insurance companies take to mitigate the impacts of severe weather events will have a trickle-down effect that will eventually reach homeowners and policyholders. Ideally, the effect will be insurance premiums stabilizing and more people opting for additional coverage on their insurance plans.

How Can Homeowners Mitigate Risk?

Safeguard your home from area-specific risks

Getting flood and earthquake insurance is the first thing you should do to protect your home. There are a number of other things you can do around your home to give your home the best chance for standing up to disasters.