N.J. has highest modeled tornado losses: Best

OLDWICK, N.J.--New Jersey tops the list of states with the highest average expected, or modeled, insured losses per 1,000 square miles from tornadoes and related weather events, according to a report issued this week by A.M. Best Co. Inc.

The Garden State, far from the "Tornado Alley" of the Great Plains, is followed by Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio and Rhode Island in terms of highest modeled losses from such violent weather, Best reported.

According to the Oldwick, N.J.-based rating agency, the five states' high average loss rates "are affected heavily by insured property values, in addition to the frequency of the storms."

Tornado and related weather events caused more than $8 billion in insured losses nationwide in 2006, according to Best.