{"id":11202,"date":"2023-12-05T11:59:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T17:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guaranteedrate.wpengine.com\/insurance\/?p=11202"},"modified":"2025-08-08T12:07:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T17:07:42","slug":"does-homeowners-insurance-cover-hurricane-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rate.com\/insurance\/resources\/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-hurricane-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hurricanes can be life-threatening and cause billions of dollars in property damage. There are some parts of the country that are far more likely to see damaging hurricanes, so depending on where you live, knowing the threat level and what you can do to protect your home and auto is a wise idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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Which areas of the U.S. are more susceptible to hurricanes?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The southeast and the states that border the Gulf of Mexico are the most susceptible to hurricanes, due to two major factors\u2014warm ocean waters and wind direction. That said, any state that has Atlantic coastline is vulnerable, as the same factors of warm ocean water and wind direction apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast majority of hurricanes that can impact the U.S. form in the North Atlantic basin, a geographical area of open ocean located north of the equator, in between the U.S. and Africa. When areas of low pressure begin to move over ocean waters warmed by the summer sun<\/a>, this creates the conditions for strong storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note as Hurricane Hilary demonstrated in August 2023, hurricanes can even hit on the Pacific side of the U.S., but this is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is hurricane season?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane season starts on June 1 and runs through to November 30, but of course weather patterns aren\u2019t bound by the calendar\u2014named storms have formed both before and after this six-month window. It\u2019s still a pretty accurate gauge, with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory<\/a> (AOML) estimating just over 97 percent of Atlantic tropical cyclone activity occurs within this window of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the different levels of hurricanes?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When listening to weather reporting during hurricane season, you\u2019ll hear a lot of different terms used to describe pressure systems forming over the Atlantic Ocean. The important thing to keep in mind is that a storm\u2019s strength is key to how it is described. Once a tropical depression increases in wind strength to 39 miles an hour or more, it\u2019s considered a tropical storm\u2014and that\u2019s when it gets a name<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weather reports start focusing on areas of activity long before they reach the named storm stage. Here are the different levels of hurricanes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tropical depression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the first stage of a storm that has the potential to develop into a hurricane, with winds at 38 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tropical storm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When winds from a tropical depression increase to at least 39 miles per hour, that is when it is recategorized as a tropical storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a tropical storm continues to strengthen and wind speeds increase to 74 miles an hour or more, it is then recategorized again as a hurricane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane intensity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once a named storm has wind speeds of 74 miles an hour, it is measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale<\/a>, which assigns an intensity rating from 1 (74-95 mph sustained wind speed) to 5 (157 mph or higher wind speeds). A hurricane numbered three or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered to be a major hurricane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the different levels of hurricanes, if you are in a region that is in the path of a hurricane or tropical storm, weather reports will likely contain mentions of either watches or warnings. As a reminder, here\u2019s what each means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n