Tornado Alley Shifts East: What This Means for Homeowners & Insurance Carriers

In 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported a total of 27 natural disasters that exceeded $1 billion in damages. Of these disasters, 16—nearly 60%—involved tornado outbreaks, many of which occurred in areas that are now being considered part of the new Tornado Alley.

Previously, this nickname referred to the states in the Great Plains, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, that experienced a larger number of confirmed tornado outbreaks compared to the rest of the United States. However, since the mid-1980s, experts have been witnessing a shift eastward, as the high-risk region has grown to include Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the surrounding states.

This shift is likely to have far-reaching consequences for homeowners and insurance companies in these areas—leaving too many unprepared to face this new normal.

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What This Means for Homeowners

According to Consumer Affairs, tornadoes caused over $1.1 billion in property damage in 2023. As costs skyrocket, storms aren’t calming down. AccuWeather reported that 2025 is the United States’ most active tornado season in 14 years, with 1,296 tornadoes already confirmed by the end of June alone. That’s 53 more cyclones than the yearly average from the last two decades—and we’re only halfway through 2025.

Couple this with Tornado Alley’s shift, and the consequences become clear: Millions of homeowners may not be equipped to handle these disasters. While those in the Great Plains have been preparing for twisters for decades, building houses with storm shelters and nurturing a more robust infrastructure, those who live in the newly established high-risk areas have not.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do as a homeowner to protect yourself. Investing in structural upgrades, like improved roofing and impact-resistant windows, may help mitigate damage when a tornado strikes. Installing a storm shelter can also be a life-saving venture for homeowners in these communities. No matter what upgrades you choose to pursue, there are a multitude of ways to protect your family and property when a storm hits.

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What This Means for Insurance Companies

As the number of twisters increases year over year and the costs that come with them balloon to billion-dollar proportions, the impact on insurance companies is devastating. Claims pour in with each disaster, overwhelming adjusters and leading to decreased policyholder satisfaction as cycle times bloat and payouts get delayed. These delayed payouts are also problematic, as each reimbursement is costly and must be disbursed in a relatively short period of time. This contributes to significant financial strain on the insurer—and increases the risk of insolvency.

Thankfully, there is a solution that helps counteract these detrimental impacts. HOMEE’s powerful software accelerates adjuster efficiency by 5 to 10 times by helping insurers offload a high volume of mundane claims tasks onto our AI. This speeds up claims and frees up adjusters’ time, enabling them to bring the human element to the policyholder and handle the higher-complexity claims that need their expertise.

Offsetting the financial strain that comes with natural disasters is also vital for preventing insolvency. Our AI has a proven track record of decreasing cycle times by 41%, minimizing LAE by 66%, and reducing supplements and indemnity leakage. In doing so, we save you time and money, facilitating an efficient repair process that returns your policyholders to normalcy faster.

If you’re looking for ways to streamline claims and safeguard your company against the devastating financial impact of tornadoes, HOMEE is here to help. Contact us today at claims@homee.com or give us a call at (855) 964-6633.

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