According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), a storm is when wind speeds go over 55 miles per hour. This is the same as wind scales like the Beaufort Scale.

Depending on your policy, your building would be covered if damage occurred under the following circumstances:

• Where wind speeds are recorded over 55mph
• Where rainfall reaches more than 25mm/1 inch of rain within a 1 hour period
• Where hailstones are extreme and damages hard surfaces
• Where there are 30cm/12 inches or more of snowfall within a 24 hour period

We'll check that these conditions have been met by using a tool called Weathernet to check the weather at the exact postcode where the damage happened.  It uses trusted weather data to help us be fair and accurate.  This is better than using normal weather stations or news reports, which talk about big areas and might not be as exact. 

Usually, damage caused by wind speeds under 55mph isn't covered, but we know every situation is different. So even if the wind wasn’t quite 55 miles per hour, we might still look at the damage. If you’re unsure, feel free to get in touch to see if we can help.

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