WTW Strengthens Partnership with KIT and NASA for Advanced Hailstorm Risk Modelling
WTW, a leader in advisory, broking, and solutions, has reaffirmed its enduring collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and NASA, including NASA’s Disasters Program and the NASA Langley Research Center. This partnership aims to deepen the exploration and modelling of hail risk, building on over a decade of collaborative work.
The newest phase of this alliance will harness cutting-edge datasets and research methodologies to tackle the increasing challenges posed by hailstorms, particularly as they evolve under the influence of climate change. Hailstorms rank among the most financially destructive weather phenomena, notably in Europe, where recent episodes have generated significant insured losses.
As climate change continues to impact hail formation dynamics, understanding shifts in factors such as hailstorm frequency, intensity, and geographical distribution has become crucial for both re/insurers and researchers. This renewed collaboration also expands on the success of the pioneering Willis European hail model—the first stochastic hail model to encompass the entire European region. Since its inception in 2014, this model has been instrumental in hail risk evaluation and pricing, gaining widespread adoption among re/insurers.
The updated iteration of the Willis European hail model will incorporate substantial enhancements, including an improved time series of overshooting cloud top detections from NASA satellites, serving as critical indicators of severe weather and hailstorm activity. A novel model configuration will also be introduced to facilitate more precise hail hazard assessments.
Furthermore, the research will delve into the impact of climate variables on hailstorm characteristics, such as hailstone size, frequency, and damage potential. By integrating advanced simulations, high-resolution satellite data, and comprehensive trend analyses of environmental conditions, this collaboration aims to provide invaluable insights into the changing spatial and temporal distribution of hail risks across Europe. This initiative will empower the re/insurance industry to better predict and manage hail-related risks amidst an increasingly volatile climate landscape.
“Hailstorms are an escalating concern for the re/insurance industry, especially as climate change brings new uncertainties to their behavior,” remarked Daniel Bannister, Weather & Climate Risks Research Lead at WTW. “Our ongoing partnership with KIT and NASA ensures that we remain at the forefront of scientific investigation, equipping re/insurers with the insights necessary to address this intricate peril.”
“Our collaboration with WTW and NASA enables us to integrate state-of-the-art science and innovative methodologies into business and economic sectors, benefiting the wider public,” commented Professor Michael Kunz, head of the Atmospheric Risks working group at KIT. “It is imperative to deepen our comprehension of how climate change affects hail formation and how this translates into risk.”
“Employing advanced identification techniques, we can quantify severe storm distribution and frequency with an unparalleled level of consistency and persistence afforded by satellite measurements,” added Benjamin Scarino, a Research Scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Centre. “Long-term satellite data records empower us to offer the re/insurance industry, project partners, and the research community vital insights into severe storm activity and associated risks.”
