New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, November 2016

Storm - south-eastern Australia, 2016

Quick Statistics

$620 million Insurance Costs

On Friday 11 November thunderstorms affected south-eastern Australia, including South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

The Insurance Council of Australia declared the event a catastrophe; total insured losses across the three states exceeded $250 million. Over 30,000 claims were lodged for domestic, commercial and agricultural losses.

Impact by region

New South Wales: Broken Hill

The storm caused widespread damage in the Broken Hill area. The State Emergency Service received over 100 calls; power outages reportedly affected 12,000 premises.

Storm characteristics:

100 kilometre-per-hour wind gusts
localised flash flooding
hailstones five centimetres in diameter.

Impacts:

trees and power lines brought down
broken windows/skylights
roof damage
dented vehicles

South Australia: Adelaide

Severe thunderstorms associated with a cold front crossing the south-east of Australia developed over South Australia.

Storm characteristics:

hailstones two centimetres in diameter in Adelaide – golf ball-size hail recorded in places
wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour

Victoria: Mildura

The most significant effects were felt in the Mildura area; storms impacted Mildura, Merbein and Red Cliffs. The Victoria State Emergency Service received around 430 calls related to building damage, downed trees and fallen powerlines. Crews from the State Emergency Service and Country Fire Authority attended four reports of building collapse with persons trapped, although in the event no rescues were required.

Agriculture in the area was also severely impacted; vineyards, almond growers and stone fruit growers were affected along with 21,000 hectares of field crops.

Gallery

Sources

This incident was included in the Major Incidents Report 2016-17 (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 2017). The report acknowledges the following sources:

ABC News, 'Buildings damaged, thousands without power after 'mini tornado' wreaks havoc in Mildura,' 12 November 2016. At: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-12/mildura-storm-mini-tornado-damages-buildings-power-outages/8019976
Bureau of Meteorology, Monthly Weather Review Australia, November 2016. At: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/mwr/aus/mwr-aus-201611.pdf
Insurance & Risk 2016, 'Mildura hailstorm claims hit $256.2 million,' 21 December 2016. At: http://insuranceandrisk.com.au/mildura-hailstorm-claims-hit-256-2-million/

Additional sources:

Insurance Council of Australia, 'Insurance catastrophe declared for Mildura storm damage,' media release, 15 November 2016.
Lim, Josephine, 'Insurance companies suffer biggest payout year for storm-related claims in 2016 after series of destructive storms in South Australia,' The Advertiser, 24 January 2017.