Severe thunderstorms impact Australia: AIR Worldwide

Catastrophe risk modelling firm AIR Worldwide has reported that, due to an unusual synoptic scale setup over Australia from January 19 to 21, severe thunderstorms with winds up to 117 km/h and hail up to 2 inches in diameter affected Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, and New South Wales, including the cities of Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.

A low-pressure trough brought instability to the region and warm, moist air from the Coral Sea to the east combined with this to create an ideal atmosphere for storm development. It appears likely to be Australia’s most impactful severe thunderstorm event since the Sydney hailstorm of December 2018, said AIR.

Melbourne and southern Victoria were struck first on Sunday afternoon and evening. In addition to large hail, flash floods caused by the thunderstorms were also reported. The next day, in Canberra, hail smashed cars and broke windows. Among the buildings badly damaged was the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), a research facility built within a glasshouse; scientists there fear most of their experiments will be lost, some of which were years in the making. The Insurance Council of Australia reported Wednesday that 41,000 claims had been received so far, including 16,000 auto claims in Canberra alone.

The low-pressure trough that contributed to the unusual setup that led to these storms has moved away from the area, and the threat of severe weather in these areas has abated for the time being.

AIR said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as warranted.