Insurers are urging Australians to "not be complacent” and prepare for all forms of wild weather after the Bureau of Meteorology declared an El Nino event this week and severe weather warnings were issued for large parts of Australia's south east.

An El Nino can bring record-high temperatures and extreme weather patterns, particularly in eastern Australia.

"With warmer and drier conditions forecast across Australia, we’re urging people to take two steps to prepare this spring: know where to find local bushfire or emergency warnings and minimise fire risks around the home,” NRMA Insurance EGM Direct Claims Luke Gallagher said.

The IAG-owned brand received 4184 claims during winter for wild weather damage. That was down significantly from 26,515 a year earlier and 12,831 in autumn. 

“This is considerably fewer than last winter when intense rainfall and storms impacted many parts of the country,” Mr Gallagher said. There were 3094 wild weather home claims, a third of all received, while wild weather made up less than 1% of all NRMA’s winter motor claims. 

The insurer recommends trimming trees, cleaning gutters, and ensuring there’s a clear area around the home and a long hose. Its quarterly poll of 3500 Australians found 55% were planning preparations by summer and just 27% knew what they would do if a bushfire threatened their home. 

On Tuesday, a fire at Coles Bay in Tasmania took off amid winds of more than 100kph and isolated the Freycinet Peninsula, triggering evacuation recommendations.

NRMA Insurance Meteorologist Bruce Buckley says increased sea temperatures are escalating the risks associated with higher temperatures this season, and there is an increased probability of hail and severe thunderstorms in spring, particularly for southeast Queensland and eastern NSW.

“We’re encouraging people to prepare now, particularly as grasslands are drying up quickly as we head into El Niño conditions. On top of fire risk, severe storms can develop quickly and strike at any time,” Dr Buckley said.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is also emphasising the need for early bushfire preparation, and today called on Australians to maintain gardens, have adequate sums insured, prepare an inventory of home contents and review all insurance policies.

“We want communities to be better prepared, particularly those that remain vulnerable and are still recovering from the damage and destruction of past catastrophic events,” ICA Acting CEO Kylie Macfarlane said. "While not all insurers enact coverage embargoes during bushfires or when an area is at risk, property owners must not gamble on their insurance protection.” 

Black Summer bushfires four years ago led to insured losses of $2.32 billion and almost 39,000 claims. Insurers have since paid out more than $16.8 billion in natural disaster claims from 13 declared catastrophes and five significant events.