The weather in October across Australia had started to become unruly; atmospheric pressure was increasing, wild thunderstorm updrafts were developing, and it all culminated into creating a most unusual environment for heavy hailstorms.

Stretching across eastern Australia, dangerous freak storms began to form, impacting areas of New South Wales and Queensland. The largest piece of hail, measured at more than 6″ in diameter, was reported in Queensland. The landscape was cluttered with white as hailstones tore down shopping mall roofs, smashed in car windows, damaged sunlights, rooftops and so much more.

Our Gray Sky team was able to collect some of the aftermath of this destructive storm so insurer members could begin responding to homeowner and business owner needs. It’s not unusual for large-scale hailstorms such as this one to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Capturing this post-CAT imagery is a large reason why members value our Gray Sky program and see it as a competitive advantage in helping shore up their book of business.

Images below are from Coffs Harbour, one of the hardest hit areas from the hail.