Study: More homes at risk of storm surge in Southwest Florida

More than 340,000 homes in Southwest Florida are at risk of hurricane storm surge, with a potential rebuilding cost topping $65 billion.

The Sarasota-Bradenton area ranked eighth among major U.S. metro areas for storm surge risk, according to an annual study by data provider CoreLogic.

Florida, surrounded by water, remains the state with the most homes at risk of a storm surge and with the highest reconstruction cost in the U.S.

Seven weeks into the 2016 hurricane season, CoreLogic says it has used more advanced data than in previous years to measure the potential damage that could be caused by a major storm.

That has added 20,500 Southwest Florida homes since last year to the list of properties that could be affected by a storm surge.

"Using more granular-level data has given us an even clearer picture of which homes are at risk of storm-surge damage," said Tom Jeffery, senior hazard risk scientist for CoreLogic.