User:Daniel/Sandbox/Hailstorms in Sydney

1947


The 1947 hailstorm struck Sydney on New Year's Day, January 1, 1947. The supercell moved from the west to the east across the Sydney metropolitan area, dropping hailstones reportedly larger than the size of a cricket ball. The storm caused around 1000 injuries, with at least 350 requiring hospitalisation or other medical attention. These were mainly caused by either broken window shards or people stranded on the Sydney beaches in the late afternoon when it struck. The storm was the most severe to strike the city in living memory at the time.

The storm cell developed over the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney in the late morning, dropping hailstones the size of billard balls across the south-western suburbs of Sydney. It moved directly over Liverpool heading in a north-west direction before slowly bending its path to be travelling almost due west as it passed over the southern part of the central business district. The storm continued to intensify as it cut through the suburbs, and eventually unleashed its full power across the eastern suburbs of Sydney. The suburbs most seriously affected were Surry Hills as well as the Bondi and Rose Bay region.

1990


The hailstorm which struck Sydney on March 18, 1990 was, at the time of the event, the costliest storm in Australian history. The storm, which meteorologists suggest may have been a supercell, struck the New South Wales capital of during the afternoon of March 18, causing severe damage in a corridor through the greater western and northern beaches regions of the city. The storm spawned in the Southern Tablelands region of the state in the early afternoon, before reaching the Liverpool area—the location of the most severe damage—just over two hours later.

The cell, which moved at an average velocity of 44 km/h, produced hail up to 8 cm in diameter as well as violent winds and heavy rainfall. Insured damages caused by the storm were over A$314 million, with the total damage bill (including uninsured damages) estimated to be around A$450 million, both in 1990 figures. The cell affected 130 postcodes of Sydney, although 20% of insured damages occurred in just two. In addition to 25 injuries caused by the event, over 14,000 homes and 9,000 cars incurred damage from the hailstones, wind and rain.

1999


The 1999 hailstorm was the costliest natural disaster in Australian history, causing extensive damage along the east coast of New South Wales. The storm developed south of Sydney on the afternoon of April 14, 1999 and struck the city's eastern suburbs, including the central business district, later that evening. During the event, the Bureau of Meteorology was consistently surprised at the frequent changes in direction, as well as the severity of the hail and the duration of the storm. The event was also unique as the time of year and general conditions in the region were not seen as conducive for an extreme thunderstorm to form.

The storm dropped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones in its path. Insured damages caused by the storm were over A$1.7 billion, with the total damage bill (including uninsured damages) estimated to be around A$2.3 billion, equivalent to US$1.5 billion. It was the costliest in Australian history in terms of insured damages, overtaking the 1989 Newcastle earthquake that had resulted in A$1.1 billion in insured damages. Lightning also claimed one life during the storm, and caused approximately 50 injuries.