CLAIMS GLOSSARY · FLORIDA & NEW JERSEY

Hurricane vs. Windstorm vs. Named Storm

Also called: windstorm, named storm, hurricane definition, windstorm coverage, wind-only policy

By Nelson Avila, Licensed Florida Public Adjuster (License G332385) · Florida Certified Contractor
Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: October 2026

Definition

On a property policy, windstorm is the peril: damage caused by wind of any origin, covered under the standard deductible. A hurricane is a defined event that triggers the separate percentage hurricane deductible; in Florida §627.4025 defines it as the windstorm during a hurricane declared by the National Hurricane Center, from the first watch or warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends. A named storm deductible, used in some states and on some commercial forms, triggers on any storm the National Weather Service names, including tropical storms, which is broader than a hurricane deductible.

The three terms side by side

Term	What triggers it	Deductible that applies	Watch for
Windstorm	Any wind damage: thunderstorm, tornado, derecho, tropical storm not within a hurricane period	Standard (all other perils) deductible	Wind exclusions on coastal policies (“ex-wind”), where wind is insured separately through Citizens or a wind pool
Hurricane (Florida)	Windstorm during a hurricane declared by the NHC: from a hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last ends (§627.4025)	Percentage hurricane deductible, once per calendar year on personal residential policies (§627.701)	Damage in a part of the state far from landfall still counts if a watch or warning was in effect anywhere in Florida
Named storm	Any storm named by the NWS/NHC, including tropical storms and in some forms post-tropical systems	Named storm deductible, usually a percentage, per occurrence	Common on commercial, condo association and surplus lines policies; broader than the hurricane trigger
Hurricane (New Jersey)	NWS-named hurricane with sustained winds of 74 mph or more measured in New Jersey (N.J.A.C. 11:2-42.7)	Hurricane deductible replaces the standard deductible only when the trigger is met	Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012) did not meet the trigger; no hurricane deductible applied

Why it matters

The same roof damage can cost you $2,500 or $25,000 out of pocket depending on which label applies. In Florida, carriers apply the hurricane deductible to wind losses during the statutory window even when the local winds were far below hurricane force, because the statute looks to the watch or warning, not the wind speed at your house. Conversely, a severe thunderstorm or tornado outside any hurricane period is a windstorm loss under the regular deductible, and a carrier that applies a percentage deductible to it is wrong. Association master policies and commercial forms often carry a named storm deductible instead, which reaches tropical storms.

Wind-only and ex-wind policies

In coastal Florida and the Keys, many policies exclude wind (“ex-wind”) and a separate wind-only policy, often with Citizens, covers windstorm and hurricane. After a storm you have two policies and two adjusters: the wind-only carrier for the roof and openings, the ex-wind carrier for fire, theft and non-wind water. OIR counted 19,240 condo wind-only policies in Florida in March 2026, 74.5% of them with Citizens.

Frequently asked questions

A tropical storm damaged my roof. Does the hurricane deductible apply in Florida?

Only if the loss occurred while a hurricane watch or warning was in effect for any part of Florida, or within 72 hours after the last one ended (§627.4025). A tropical storm with no hurricane watch or warning anywhere in the state is a windstorm loss under the regular deductible.

What is a named storm deductible?

A percentage deductible triggered by any storm named by the National Weather Service, including tropical storms. It is broader than a hurricane deductible and is common on commercial and association policies.

Did Sandy trigger New Jersey hurricane deductibles?

No. Sandy made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone and the Department of Banking and Insurance confirmed hurricane deductibles could not be applied; the same conclusion was reached for Irene in 2011 under the 74-mph-in-New-Jersey trigger.

Related terms

Hurricane Deductible

A hurricane deductible is a separate, usually percentage-based deductible that replaces your regular deductible when a loss is caused by a named hurricane.

Read the definition ›

Calendar-Year Deductible

A calendar-year deductible is a deductible that is satisfied once for all covered losses of that type in the same calendar year.

Read the definition ›

Date of Loss

The date of loss (DOL) is the date the damage occurred, which is the date the covered event happened, not the date you discovered it or reported it.

Read the definition ›

Anti-Concurrent Causation Clause

An anti-concurrent causation (ACC) clause is the sentence at the top of a policy's exclusions that says the excluded loss is excluded "regardless of any other cause or event contributing concurrently…

Read the definition ›

If this is your loss, call Homeland before you talk to the insurance company: Florida (305) 783-3777, New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24 hours. A licensed public adjuster reviews the claim for free and calls you back right away. No Recovery, No Fee.

Sources

This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Statutes, regulations and policy wording change, and how they apply depends on your own policy and the facts of your claim. Homeland Public Adjusters is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm.

More by Nelson Avila

All 61 articles by Nelson Avila →

Other Homeland authors