HWind

In an era of exponentially increasing risks, the insurance industry faces a rapidly evolving landscape of catastrophes. These events are becoming more frequent, interconnected, and complex. Compounding the challenge, the relentless news cycle and social media can amplify misinformation, leaving (re)insurers with no time to rely on slow analytics. Real-time data and swift, informed decision-making are now essential.

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Key features
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Moody’s HWind is at the forefront of hurricane wind analysis, collating real-time data from diverse sources into a detailed database that can enhance tropical cyclone event response.

From preparedness and response to loss assessment and model validation, HWind offers insights into the strength and extent of tropical cyclone winds, enriching storm intensity assessments.

How can we help?

HWind products provide (re)insurers, brokers, capital markets, government agencies, and academia with tools for real-time event preparation and response, parametric insurance contracts triggers, experience-based validation, and advanced research.

Stay ahead of the storm

Gain a clear understanding of potential losses across multiple forecast scenarios, accounting for the uncertainty in storm track and intensity evolution.

Receive precise hazard insights

Quickly pinpoint maximum wind speeds at specific locations to determine parametric insurance triggers and streamline claims adjustments.

Validate with confidence

Leverage historical storm reconstructions to assess potential payouts, validate pricing for parametric insurance, and align historical claims with hazard data for internal risk assessments.

Speak to our team today

Interested in learning more about our offerings? Our solutions specialists are ready to help.

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Key features

HWind integrates a comprehensive array of available observational data sources, drawing from over 30 land, air, and sea-based platforms. These include aircraft reconnaissance, dropsondes, airborne Doppler radar wind measurements, buoys, satellites, and coastal observation networks, combining both private and public data feeds. Additionally, HWind also incorporates insights from more than 10 types of deterministic and ensemble forecasting models to deliver in-depth storm analysis.

01 Event forecasting
02 Event snapshots
03 Cumulative footprints
04 Extensive event catalogue

01 Event forecasting

Event forecasting

HWind provides five-day forecast track scenarios, footprints, and loss estimates updated as frequently as every six hours once an Atlantic tropical cyclone is named. Widely recognized in the scientific community and cited in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, HWind data supports diverse applications, including validating numerical weather prediction models and serving as inputs for storm surge and wave modeling.

02 Event snapshots

Event snapshots

HWind delivers instantaneous views of tropical cyclone track and hazard characteristics, updated every six hours throughout the storm’s life cycle. These datasets feature unique wind field analysis metrics developed by HWind scientists, including Integrated Kinetic Energy — a globally recognized index for measuring tropical cyclone size and intensity and a proven alternative to the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

03 Cumulative footprints

Cumulative footprints

HWind cumulative footprints, updated every six hours and finalized one to three days after landfall, help with fast payouts of parametric insurance contracts. Built primarily on observational data, these footprints capture complex storm structures. Wind hazards are represented on a high-resolution 1x1 km grid, allowing for identification of wind speeds at specific locations and minimizing basis risk.

04 Extensive event catalogue

Extensive event catalogue

The HWind event catalogue is updated annually to incorporate new data and recent storms. Drawing on over 25 years of high-resolution images, snapshots, and footprints from historical hurricanes, it provides a rich resource for analyzing past events and refining future risk models.

Swiss Re CorSo makes parametric payouts to hospitality sector clients in Mexico

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has fulfilled claims to customers of its parametric STORM solution in Mexico following Hurricane Beryl making landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula earlier this month.

A Moody's eBook

HWind integration with Risk Modeler and ExposureIQ

Industry-leading Moody’s RMS™ Event Response and HWind services are fully integrated with ExposureIQ™ and Risk Modeler™, helping customers gain access to around-the-clock insights before, during, and after an event. HWind forecasts, snapshots, and Event Response footprints are uploaded to ExposureIQ the moment they become available, removing the time-consuming manual processes required for other solutions.

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Using Moody’s HWind as a trigger for parametric insurance contracts

Parametric insurance contracts for hurricanes offer quicker payouts and the ability to fill in coverage gaps from traditional insurance, helping businesses recover more quickly in the aftermath of an event.

With an extensive network of observational data to reconstruct the wind field of storms at high-resolution, using Moody’s HWind cumulative footprints as a trigger can help minimize basis risk.

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News and views

blog

Oct 07, 2024

Moody's

Real-time hurricane loss estimates with HWind forecasting footprints

HWind hurricane footprints capable of generating modeled losses consistent with the modeled vulnerabilities in Moody’s RMS North Atlantic Hurricane Models are now uploaded to Risk Modeler as they become available.

blog

Jun 26, 2023

Moody's

How to reduce basis risk when selecting a parametric trigger

When a catastrophic event such as a hurricane occurs, it can have a significant and wide-ranging impact on a region. Aside from the tragedy of human casualties and injuries, homes, businesses, and infrastructure can experience direct damage.

infographic

Moody's

Hurricanes Helene and Milton by the numbers

Prior to, during, and post-landfall, Moody’s RMS Event Response served as an essential partner to our customers in providing timely, helpful insights on hurricanes Helene and Milton. See how we equipped our clients with timely insights to respond more effectively to the events.

View infographic