MASSIVE HAIL STORM HITS SYDNEY AUSTRALIA AS A CATASTROPHE IS DECLARED
Image by Steve McIntyre
Insurers are bracing for a flood of claims after Sydney's "catastrophic" hailstorm yesterday, which saw many parts of the city pelted with hail up to 8 centimetres wide.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared the storm a catastrophe and said claims so far had been mostly about damage to motor vehicles, including smashed windscreens.
Residents have also been ringing their insurers about damage to tiled or metal roofs and flooding.
ICA spokesman Campbell Fuller said the financial impact of the storms would be significant.
"It won't be known for some days, or even several weeks," he said.
"Residents and businesses are prioritising making their properties safe … and they'll contact their insurers when they get to it."
The Bureau of Meteorology said the storms pelted a widespread area with large hailstones.
Sydney residents caught in the chaos ran for cover, while one passenger in a taxi received a shock when a hailstone smashed through the back windscreen.
Many areas looked as though they had been blanketed by snow.
Surfers at Bondi Beach had few options for shelter, and while many made a dash for the shore, some stuck it out in the water and used their boards for shelter.
At Berowra, on the upper North Shore, there were reports of hail about 8 centimetres wide, while Cabramatta in the south-west and parts of Surry Hills received hail about half that size.
A State Emergency Service spokesperson said Berowra was one of the worst-hit areas, with "almost every second home" needing assistance.
"Giant hailstones, which is hail greater than 5 centimetres, are quite specifically driven in supercell thunderstorms," meteorologist Jordan Notara said.
"We do get them quite regularly over summer through NSW, but these storm cells redeveloped quite intensely over Sydney specifically."
The Image above shows the temperatures over the start of next week when there will be a higher risk.
These clouds are very rare down at these latitudes and only be see every few years.
In 2016 the odds were better due to a opening in the ozone Layer over us but a display this time can not be ruled out.
If they do manage to form over the coming mornings and evenings make sure to take photos and send then on.
The state's most highly populated area was right in the firing line, worsening the impact.
Mr Fuller said an "insurance catastrophe" was declared due to the extent of the damage, which was evident early in the storms.
"The declaration means insurers are prioritising claims from the hailstorm and they're endeavouring to help customers as quickly as possible," he said.
It also means a taskforce has been set up specifically to liaise with emergency services and government bodies.
While the cost of the storms will not be known for some time, Mr Fuller said a catastrophe was declared when the damage bill was likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars or higher.
One of the worst hailstorms to hit Sydney occurred in April 1999, when a cell began to brew in Nowra before striking the Harbour City.
There was significant hail pelting down in 85 suburbs, damaging around 63,000 cars and 22,000 insured buildings.
The ICA later placed the estimated insurance loss at $1.7 billion.
Mr Fuller said in today's terms, that would equate to $5.6 billion.
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