Severe weather conditions have brought greater insurance losses in the recent years for the United States. These weather conditions vary from wildfires, hails, thunderstorms to tornadoes.

In the last decade alone, the country battled over the effects of the numerous hurricanes which have cost billions of damages and have resulted to billions of insurance claims. In 2005, there was Katrina, Wilma and Rita. In 2008, a billion-dollar devastating hurricane also hit Texas. And recently, there was Hurricane Isaac that had brought insurance losses to more than five states. These severe weather events damaged infrastructures, vehicles and other properties.

As for hail incidents, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) reported early this year that in 2011, the rate for auto insurance claims for hail damage had doubled than the rate on the years 2010, 2009 and 2008.

With the recent rate on hail damage, it is said that a chance for an auto comprehensive insurance claim to be filed due to hail is 1-in-170. The chances in 2010 and 2009 were just 1-in-345.

The HLDI reported that in 2011, there were 244,800 comprehensive insurance claims for vehicles that were damage by hails. The cost of hail-related auto claims reached $797 million. The said institution focused on comprehensive coverage in its report as hail claims are made to the said type of auto insurance coverage. Having this coverage is optional in most states.

A spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, Michael Barry, said that around 75 percent of insured drivers in the entire U.S. opt to add comprehensive coverage to their auto insurance policies.

On the other hand, Munich Re, an international reinsurance firm reported that insured property losses in the United States in 2011 due to thunderstorms reached a record-high of $26 billion.

Auto comprehensive coverage is an optional coverage that you should think twice before giving it up. Aside from providing cover to your vehicle from weather-caused damages and other natural occurring events, comprehensive also protects you from theft and other damages that are not cause by collision incidents.