How extreme weather is shaping the construction industry

By Dani Sheehan. 

Get the inside scoop on trends and insights for contractors and manufacturers looking to grow their business while navigating the weather. 

We can all see that the weather is influencing the construction industry. In the second episode of our Contractor Outlook Newscast, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Curtis McDonald, the director of product management and meteorologist at CoreLogic. Analyzing trends in construction, insurance and extreme weather events, they discuss the long-term outlook for contractors and manufacturers. 

Curtis started by giving us a little insight into the work he’s doing at CoreLogic, saying, “I oversee our products for our weather space, so product director, and I do have a background in meteorology... CoreLogic really is a leading company that provides property data and insights. And really the mission that we have is to get faster and smarter within the property ecosystem and then also to be more people centric.” 

CoreLogic collects an incredible amount of data to help build a more resilient society. He explained some of the recent trends he’s been seeing this year. “Essentially hail is 50% above the 10-year normal for 2024, the first half of 2024. And then even more concerning are the tornadoes, 70% above the 10-year normal, we've seen just a tremendous amount of tornadic activity in many parts of the Midwest and then through the central and southern plains in 2024.” 

The problem with weather though is that trends happen slowly and often it’s hard to notice a change. Looking at a 20-year snapshot can be helpful to put it into terms that are better understood by the majority and Curtis shared that the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas serves as a prime example. He continued, “I think it's important to understand that over the last 20 years, the targets, cities populations have continued to grow as well. So, you think it takes one storm hitting the right area to really cause a lot of problems.” With the growth of the north side of Dallas-Fort Worth, he explained, “They typically do get a couple of significant storms a year through that area where 20 years ago it was mostly open fields that were being impacted.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to hear more about the impending hurricane season and other extreme weather trends that are impacting the construction industry.