Extreme weather is already a huge threat to homeowners. Which U.S. states are most at risk?

November 4, 2026 / 9:12 AM EST / CBS News

Storm clouds are rolling in on the U.S. housing market, with new data projecting a sharp increase in financial losses linked to extreme weather in the coming years.

That's the upshot of a new report from Cotality, released Wednesday, which explores the states most vulnerable to extreme weather. The property data and analytics company also calculated the financial losses, already in the billions for 30 states, and how they are expected to grow by 2050.

"When people think of extreme weather, they usually think of places like California, Texas and Florida, but the most severe concentrations of risk aren't always where you'd expect," said Dr. Howard Botts, chief scientist at Cotality.

Homeowners face fresh challenges as climate change accelerates the frequency and severity of storms. Flooding, hurricanes and severe convective storms are expected to drive the most financial losses across the country in the coming decades, according to Cotality.

At the same time, insurers are increasing premiums and, in some cases, exiting high-risk markets altogether, leaving some homeowners more exposed.

Cotality ranked states using a risk-scoring model that measures the severity and likelihood of extreme-weather perils. According to the findings…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/