Canadian Underwriter

Losses From Dolly Mark Only Fourth Hurricane Of Busy Season


February 23, 2018   by Daryl-Lynn Carlson


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Authorities that forecast a blustery hurricane season are already starting to tally the damages.

According to AIR Worldwide Corporation catastrophic risk modeling company, damaged wreaked by Hurricane Dolly, the fourth of the Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to total between USD $350 million and USD $700 million in insured losses in Mexico and the United States.

Those figures were recently revised after AIR analysts placed losses at the low end of their preliminary estimate due to the fact that Dolly’s actual track inland was on the northern edge of the range of forecast tracks issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at the time of landfall.

“After slowing for several hours to a near standstill about 35 miles offshore, the eyewall of Hurricane Dolly finally crossed South Padre Island at around 1:00 pm EDT Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph,” said Dr. Peter Dailey, director of atmospheric science at AIR Worldwide. “One hour later, winds had diminished to 95 mph as Dolly hovered just onshore over Laguna Madre, Texas.”

The change ensured the sister cities of Brownsville Matamoros, Mexico were spared from Dolly’s fiercest winds and while a significant volume of cotton crop was indeed destroyed, levees along the Rio Grande River that were feared would break, held out.

A tropical storm warning that had been in effect along the Texas coast from Brownsville to Port Arkansas was lifted late last week.

The National Hurricane Center expects Dolly to become a tropical depression that might cause isolated tornadoes over south central Texas through this week.

But the season is not over.

Environment Canada has warned Canadians, particularly Maritimers, not to be complacent, citing the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2008 outlook that calls for a 60 to 70 per cent chance that there will be up to 16 names storms.

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This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.


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