Storm damage in Switzerland reaches hundreds of millions
Thursday 3rd September 2026 on 15:30 in
Switzerland
Damage from last Friday’s severe storm front in Switzerland has already reached at least hundreds of millions of francs, SRF reported, citing a survey by the news agency AWP. Insurers described the storm as by far the most severe hail event of the year.
The storm crossed the lowlands, particularly northern parts of the country, causing extensive hail and wind damage. Several people were injured by falling trees and hailstones, including a woman in the canton of Solothurn who was seriously hurt.
Hailstones locally measured up to 5 centimetres in diameter, according to the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology. Wind gusts of up to 142 kilometres per hour were recorded in the canton of Schaffhausen. Power lines were brought down in the cantons of Aargau and Zurich.
Mobiliar had received around 18,000 claims across Switzerland by Wednesday, including 14,300 for damaged vehicles. Allianz Suisse reported more than 11,000 vehicle claims, while Helvetia had received about 11,500 claims by Wednesday morning. Mobiliar and Allianz Suisse each expect the damage to run into at least tens of millions of francs and anticipate further claims. Axa and Generali Switzerland gave similar assessments.
Insurers are setting up drive through centres where owners can have damage to still drivable vehicles assessed. They reported numerous total losses and a shortage of replacement vehicles at both rental companies and garages. Allianz Suisse is collecting vehicles suspected of being total losses for assessment by experts. Helvetia and Allianz Suisse are offering financial support for public transport if no replacement vehicle is available.
Buildings were also damaged, including facades, building exteriors and roofs. Zurich’s building insurer now estimates damage in the canton at around 200 million francs, compared with an initial estimate of 30 million francs. It had received around 11,600 claims. In Aargau, the storm caused property damage worth between 25 million and 30 million francs, according to the cantonal building insurer, which had received around 3,000 claims.
The storm also briefly brought operations at Zurich Airport to a standstill because of the large number of lightning strikes.