Climate Change Raises Hailstorm Risks For Australian Major Cities

Major urban centres like Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Perth are expected to experience larger hailstones and a greater risk of damaging hail events due to climate change, according to a statement released Tuesday by Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW).

The study, which examined simulated weather patterns in a warming climate, also shows hailstorms become more frequent in Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hailstone sizes are expected to rise in several of these cities, and more intense storms in the future could increase the chances of large-diameter hail, said the study's lead author, Tim Raupach from UNSW's Institute for Climate Risk and Response.

The study finds that in Melbourne, 10 cm hailstones - previously seen only every 20 years - could strike every three years as the climate warms.

Hail damage has made up over 20 per cent of insured losses in Australia from 1967 to 2023, mainly because stronger storm updrafts produce larger, more destructive hailstones, said the study detailed in Geophysical Research Letters published by the American Geophysical Union.

While hail can occur nationwide, Australia's east coast is especially vulnerable. Remote areas like Western Australia's goldfields and the Gulf of Carpentaria also see severe hail, though data there is limited, it said.

Researchers noted that Australia's growing solar industry is increasingly vulnerable to hail damage, but experts say this should encourage stronger infrastructure and resilience, not deter investment in renewables.

The authors said current Australian building standards lack hail resilience measures, leaving many properties vulnerable, adding that although hail warnings and insurance exist, physical precautions like covered parking and strong roofing remain crucial for protection.

Raupach stressed reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate worsening severe weather, and called for further research on how urban design could limit hailstorm risk in the future

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