On 17 November 1996 the areas of the Hunter Valley and New England (particularly Tamworth) experienced severe storms, hail and wind damage. Winds up to 111 km per hour felled trees, powerlines and damaged houses, buildings and blocked some roads. The worst affected areas included Tamworth, Werris Creek, Coonabarabran, Baradine, Dungog, Scone, Stroud and Forster with all experiencing varying degrees of storm damage.

The Insurance Council of Australia estimated the 1996 damage at $10 million, with the 2017 estimated normalised cost of $33.9 million.