Hailstorm loss modelling and risk assessment in the Sydney region, Australia

This paper summarises work undertaken at the Natural Hazards Research Centr e with regard to the compilation, climatological analysis and loss modellin g application of hailstorm data for the greater Sydney region. It discusses the results from two associated research areas: ENSO-related climatologica l analysis of hailstorm data, and insurance sector oriented risk assessment of hail losses in the Sydney basin. The two complementary projects led to the development of HailAUS, the first hail loss model for a major urban are a in Australia. The hazard occurrence module of the hail loss model is base d on a comprehensive, good quality hail data set, whose interannual variabi lity has previously been analysed with regard to the ENSO signal. The paper presents the major results of the local hail data climatology, and outline s the structure of the hail loss model. The important practical application s that result from the collection and analysis of good quality climatologic al data are noted.