M6.2 Earthquake Strikes New Zealand’s North Island: AIR

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BOSTON, Jan. 20, 2014 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at 9:52 p.m. Eastern Time, on January 19 (3:52 p.m., local time, January 20), a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck New Zealand’s North Island. The epicenter was located 111 km (69 miles) northeast of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city and second most populous area, and 34 km (21 miles) south-southeast of Palmerston and 37 km (23 miles) north-northeast of Masterson. Strong shaking was felt in the vicinity of both Palmerston and Masterson. The quake struck at a depth of…

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AIR Estimates Losses from European Windstorm Xaver at Between EUR 700 Million and EUR 1.4 Billion

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BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2013 – Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that insured wind losses from Extratropical Cyclone Windstorm Xaver will range between EUR 700 million and EUR 1.4 billion, with the majority of the losses in Denmark, Germany, and the UK. Losses also occurred in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and Norway. The strong extratropical cyclone (ETC) known as Xaver came ashore on Thursday, December 5, in Scotland with wind speeds comparable to those of a Category 1 hurricane. It then headed south and moved across the North Sea to…

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Tornado Outbreak in the Midwest on Sunday Destroys Hundreds of Homes: AIR

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BOSTON, Nov. 19, 2013 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, on Sunday, November 17, 2013, an outbreak of intense late-season thunderstorms accompanied by high winds, quarter-to-baseball sized hail, and dozens of tornadoes swept across the Midwest, flattening hundreds of homes. While tornadoes were sighted in several states, including Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, the most damaging twisters occurred in central Illinois. According to preliminary reports from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC), 80 tornadoes were produced by this severe thunderstorm outbreak, making it the second most active severe weather…

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Northeast Braces for Blizzard Tomorrow: AIR Worldwide

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BOSTON, Feb. 7, 2013 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a disturbance tracking across the Great Lakes is expected to merge later tonight with another low pressure system developing off the Mid-Atlantic Coast. The combined system is forecast to pass to the south of Cape Cod and then intensify rapidly. By Friday evening, heavy snow is expected to fall across southern New England, and by Saturday morning winds are expected to be very intense for coastal New England. “Convective (thunderstorm) activity embedded within the system could result in…

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Floods Associated with Ex-Tropical Cyclone Strike Eastern Australia

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According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, flooding has hit parts of eastern Australia, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. The heavy precipitation over the past week is associated with ex-tropical cyclone Oswald and was enhanced by a monsoon trough, an elongated area of low pressure that moved south along the Queensland coast into New South Wales. Floodwaters cut off rural communities, damaged homes, caused massive power outages, and disrupted coal mining operations. Water levels are slowly receding on most rivers, but dozens of flood warnings still remain…

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