ZestyAI, a leading provider of AI-powered risk analytics for the insurance sector, has received regulatory approval from the Ohio Department of Insurance for its Severe Convective Storm suite.
The suite, which includes Z-HAIL™, Z-WIND™, and Z-STORM™, is now cleared for use in 16 US states, expanding the company’s reach into critical high-risk regions across the Midwest, Great Plains, and South, according to FF News.
The launch in Ohio comes in response to the state’s alarming increase in billion-dollar weather events.
According to NOAA’s National Centres for Environmental Information (NCEI), Ohio experienced 36 such events in the past five years alone—more than the entire previous two decades.
Severe convective storms—hail, wind, and tornadoes—were responsible for over 57% of all weather-related damages in the state since 1980, underlining the urgent need for precise risk modelling tools.
ZestyAI leverages artificial intelligence to forecast the likelihood and severity of insurance claims from storm events at the individual property level. By analysing how local weather interacts with specific property characteristics, ZestyAI’s platform goes beyond conventional territory-level assessments, offering more granular and accurate risk insights.
The Severe Convective Storm suite is composed of three distinct models:
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Z-HAIL predicts hail damage by analysing factors such as roof complexity, historical claims, and accumulated damage, even distinguishing risk between neighbouring homes.
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Z-WIND delivers property-specific wind vulnerability assessments by combining AI-generated 3D roof analyses with local climatology.
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Z-STORM forecasts the frequency and severity of storm damage based on a building’s unique structural traits and environmental interactions.
Each tool in the suite is built on real-world claims data and provides transparent, interpretable risk scores. These insights allow insurance carriers to refine their underwriting and rating strategies, enhancing pricing accuracy and customer protection.
The company’s latest regulatory milestone builds on a strong year. In 2024, ZestyAI helped extend insurance coverage to over 511,000 properties that were previously considered uninsurable. Looking ahead, the company aims to double its impact in 2025, targeting more than one million homes and businesses—particularly in catastrophe-prone areas—with sustainable, risk-aligned insurance solutions.
ZestyAI founder and chief product officer Kumar Dhuvur said, “Too often, storm risk is priced using rough proxies instead of accurate property insights. Regulatory approval in Ohio affirms the industry’s shift toward precision underwriting and rating—and opens the door to smarter, risk-aligned decisions and fewer preventable losses in one of the nation’s most important insurance markets.”
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