AI could help insurers navigate even a calm hurricane season

Forecasts predict near to below-average activity for the 2026 North Atlantic hurricane season, according to Allianz's hurricane season outlook, but this does not lighten the burden on insurers to respond efficiently to potentially major losses. 

Adaptability will be key, and AI can play a role in processing storm data, Richard Ing, manager of claims field operations at Liberty Mutual, told Digital Insurance.

"AI helps us route claims to the right adjuster more quickly to ensure the right level of care is being given to our insureds," Ing said. "Quick assignment to the right person enables real-time customer support. Our adjusters are equipped with the right tools and business services to enable customers to take immediate steps to safeguard their families and their property. Moving quickly to deploy the right teams also reduces reassignments so our customers experience continuity throughout the recovery process so they can embrace tomorrow."

The Allianz report reviewed various 2026 outlooks from AccuWeather, Colorado State University, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, North Carolina State University, Tropical Storm Risk and the U.K. Met Office. 

"It only takes one storm event to change lives, disrupt business and cost billions," said Kevin Sandelin, senior team leader for property, South Zone, at Allianz Risk Consulting, in the press release. "A slow or quiet hurricane season can still cause devastation if a single storm hits a major city, or just one storm travels slowly across land, bringing days of rain."

There are expected to be six to 16 named storms, three to nine hurricanes and one to four major hurricanes, according to the report. 

"What drives loss is not how many storms form, but the intensity of individual events and where they make landfall," said Keerthy Mohandas, catastrophe risk research analyst at Allianz Commercial, in the press release. "For businesses operating in hurricane-exposed regions, this translates to two distinct but connected considerations for 2026 — hazard severity and exposure."

The report highlights that rapid intensification events are becoming more frequent and that early preparedness is essential. 

"Preparedness decisions for 2026 need to be anchored in a clear understanding of exposure concentration, asset vulnerability and the realistic severity of events that can occur even in a below-average season," said Mohandas. "History suggests a below-average forecast has rarely guaranteed a below-average loss year, and 2026 is unlikely to be the exception."