Storms accounted for 69% of NSW wild weather claims in autumn and were the leading cause of claims in the ACT, according to NRMA Insurance’s season update.

Nationally, the IAG-owned insurer received 9647 claims for damage to homes and vehicles, its latest Wild Weather Tracker report says.

“Autumn [had] less than half as many claims due to wild weather [compared with summer],” it says. “This was the quietest autumn for wild weather damage since autumn 2020, but extreme weather still accounted for over half (52.8%) of all home claims.”

NRMA Insurance operates in every state and territory except Victoria, where its products are distributed under the RACV brand.

The insurer received 8125 wild weather claims in NSW, comprising 6555 home claims and 1570 for motor.

More than three in five home claims across the state resulted from wild weather, and Illawarra, Central Coast and inner-southwest Sydney were the hardest-hit regions.

In Queensland, just 324 claims were lodged, marking the state’s “quietest” autumn in more than seven years. More than one-quarter of home claims were due to wild weather and Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast were the most affected areas.

About 25.9% of Queensland wild weather claims related to home damage and 0.7% to motor.

The ACT had 185 claims, with 174 for home damage and 11 for motor.

“More than one in three home claims in autumn were due to extreme weather, with storms the biggest cause of claims,” the report says of the ACT market.

SA had its quietest season since at least spring 2016, with just 83 claims due to extreme weather.

WA was the only market to experience an increase from the 2023-24 summer, with NRMA receiving 905 claims. This was largely because of a tornado that hit the Bunbury region last month, causing significant property damage and leading to more than 680 claims.

The report says the next few months will feel milder than normal, with southwest WA and the eastern states to experience warmer days and nights from now to August.

While autumn has been calm, the risk of extreme weather remains, the insurer says.

“As we head into winter, extreme weather could happen at any time, so we’re encouraging individuals and communities to take the steps to build emotional resilience, which is just as important as being physically prepared,” EGM claims Luke Gallagher told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

The Wild Weather Tracker includes research showing four in five Australians feel anxious about the impact of extreme weather.

NRMA Insurance and Lifeline Australia have created an online disaster resilience resource to help Australians mentally and emotionally prepare for such events.

Click here for the weather report.

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