As the United States expands its energy infrastructure and data center capacity, developers and insurers are facing an evolving threat landscape. While historical efforts to harden the power grid against extreme weather have primarily focused on hurricanes, new analysis from the risk analytics firm Verisk suggests that severe thunderstorms have become a more significant financial concern. According to the report, severe thunderstorms now account for 40% of global insured catastrophe risk, surpassing the 27% attributed to hurricanes.

This shift in risk profile is particularly relevant to the U.S., which accounts for $117 billion—or 68%—of the total global insured catastrophe risk. The concentration of new infrastructure projects in regions increasingly susceptible to severe storm activity creates a complex environment for developers. As these projects are built, the potential for financial loss during extreme weather events is rising, forcing insurers and energy companies to re-evaluate how they assess and mitigate risks that were previously considered secondary to tropical cyclones. The data highlights a growing tension between the rapid buildout of energy capacity and the physical realities of a changing climate, as infrastructure is increasingly placed in areas where severe weather is becoming more frequent and costly.