Hail storms

Large hail is bad news for man or beast caught out in the open, and can spell disaster for ripening crops. Property damage can be devastating in concentrations of urban living.

NSW and southern Queensland are particularly prone to large hail, normally in association with severe thunderstorms that develop along low pressure troughs. Sydney has been belted by many such storms, but few worse than that of Wednesday, 14 April 1999. During the late afternoon a storm developed north of Nowra, moved off the coast and parallel to it, then almost due north across Sydney. Huge hailstones, some the size of softballs (11cm in diameter), and driven by squally winds, struck the city and suburbs, particularly in the east. The onslaught of ice, one of the worst since European settlement, badly damaged or destroyed many cars, partially destroyed many homes, and even damaged commercial aircraft. At least 35,000 buildings, mostly homes, suffered serious roof damage; in many cases roofs were totally destroyed.

Tennis-ball sized hail-stones picked up near Randwick during the April 1999 hailstorm in Sydney
(courtesy of Mike De Salis, Bureau of Meteorology).

Insurance losses from the storm exceeded $1.5 billion, replacing the Newcastle earthquake of 1989 as Australia’s costliest natural disaster (in terms of insured losses). A somewhat similar, though less costly, storm in Sydney on Sunday 18 March 1990 spawned hail up to 8cm in diameter over an area from west of Liverpool to the Palm Beach area. At least 25 people were injured by the hailstones or by broken glass, and damage was estimated at around $380 million. Other storms noteworthy for the size of their hail, and/or their damage, occurred in January 1947 (more than 350 people injured by hail or broken glass), and in January 1991.

Brisbane had a similar experience on the afternoon of Friday 18 January 1985. A storm moved northeast over the Brisbane river from the Goodna area to Northgate, then out into Moreton Bay, dropping hailstones as large as 6cm. The storm was accompanied by fierce winds (gusting over 180km/h at Brisbane airport), which turned the large hailstones into missiles. The storm struck at peak hour, and the resulting traffic jam left thousands of cars stranded like sitting ducks in the open. The ferocious weather inflicted severe damage to body panels and windscreens. Twenty people were injured during the storm, and damage was estimated at more than $300 million.

The southern States are not immune. On 14 November 1901 one of many severe hailstorms in central Victoria crossed Melbourne at 6 pm, again as people were homeward-bound. Commuters were battered on the then unsheltered platforms at Flinders Street railway station, horses bolted, and hailstones filled the cable tram tracks. At that time many buildings had glass roofs and skylights, which were broken, resulting in serious water damage to the buildings’ interiors. Fruit trees in suburban and country areas also suffered severely.

Probably the most damaging storm to strike Adelaide was a hailstorm that crossed the city about 7pm on 22 January 1991, one of several severe storms in central South Australia that day. Hailstones reached 10cm in diameter, and the damage bill was estimated at $25 million (1991 dollars). Nearly half the damage claims were for motor vehicles, but the hail also broke tiles and windows, causing water damage in many houses.

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