Nearly one-third of Australians say wild weather has damaged their property or vehicle in the past five years, as new figures from NRMA Insurance show extreme conditions are continuing to drive a large share of home insurance claims.
The insurer said close to 300,000 wild weather claims were lodged over that period, which it calculated as roughly one every nine minutes. Its latest Wild Weather Tracker also found that weather-related events made up 57% of all home claims.
Storms caused the most damage, followed by hail and floods. Although extreme weather is often associated with summer, NRMA Insurance’s data shows claims were spread across much of the year, with 31% lodged in summer and 30% in autumn. Among the major events recorded in the past five years, the 2022 floods in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland produced the highest claim volumes.
NRMA Insurance meteorologist Peter Chan said Australia remains exposed to a wide range of hazards: “In Australia, we are exposed to just about every possible hazard, from fires and floods to severe thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. In a warming climate, extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and intense for many regions in Australia.”
Chan said autumn conditions are expected to differ across the country. Parts of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are likely to remain warm and dry, with elevated bushfire risk, while northern parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia may see wetter-than-usual conditions and a higher chance of tropical systems and severe storms.
Against this backdrop, the research points to a shift in how Australians perceive and respond to risk. Nearly half of Australians said they are more worried about weather damage to their homes than they were five years ago. At the same time, 41% said vulnerability to wild weather is now something they consider when looking at a property to buy.
This change in outlook is also reflected in preparedness levels. NRMA Insurance said 38% of Australians are now more likely to take steps to get ready for severe weather after what they have experienced in recent years. The proportion of households with an emergency plan has also risen to 42%, up from 36% five years ago.
“Severe weather can strike suddenly, but small steps to prepare ahead of time make a big difference. This season we recommend clearing your gutters, trimming overhanging branches and checking the condition of your roof to help reduce your home’s vulnerability,” NRMA Insurance executive manager for property claims Scott Lindsay said.
