1999 Sydney hailstorm
1999 CE.
Shown on the map at -33.867°, 151.208°.
On the afternoon 14 April 1999, a powerful hailstorm formed north of Nowra and moved north toward the city of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It was the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history, causing extensive damage along the east coast of New South Wales. The storm struck the city's eastern suburbs, including the central business district, later that evening. The storm dropped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones in its path. The insured damage bill caused by the storm was over A$1.7 billion, which is equivalent to A$3.2 billion in 2022 when adjusted for inflation, with the total bill (including uninsured damage) estimated to be around A$2.3 billion, or A$4.3 billion in 2022. It was the costliest single natural disaster in Australian history in insured damage, surpassing the A$1.1 billion in insured damage caused by the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. Lightning killed one person during the storm, and the event caused approximately 50 injuries. The storm was classified as a supercell following further analysis of its erratic nature and extreme attributes.
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