Damage caused by the gales across Britain over the weekend could cost up to £50 million to repair.
That's the stark warning from the Association of British Insurers which has estimated the total cost to the insurance industry will be "tens of millions".
An ABI spokesman said: "We are talking tens of millions of pounds in the level of claims - up to £50 million - rather than hundreds of millions."
He said the cost to the industry compared with more than £1 billion costs for the October 1987 storms, and about £2 billion damage following the January 1990 storms.
He added that did insurance premiums were not likely to rise on the back the storms.
"I wouldn't anticipate that, this is what insurance is there for and why people pay premiums. This is the sort of event that insurance exists to deal with," he said.
The gales also prompted a barrage of calls into AA Insurance Services' Claimline department.
Stephanie Goeting, AA claims manager, says: "This time of year is typically one of the peak periods for claims and we ensure that we have the adequate staffing levels to cope with the anticipated increase.
"The volume of calls is also expected to be high today as people return to work after assessing the damage over the weekend. Most claims involve damage from fallen trees,
masonry or tiles."
