The Insurance Council of Australia has reported that five weather events in 2025 reached a level of “significant or catastrophic” impact.

Among these events were the February floods in North Queensland, ex-tropical cyclone Alfred in March, the May floods on the NSW Mid North Coast, and two intense storm events that struck Queensland and New South Wales in October and November.

Despite being downgraded to a tropical low before making landfall, ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, which impacted the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland on March 8, emerged as the costliest event of the year.

In the aftermath of Alfred, the Insurance Council reported that 132,000 claims were filed, totaling more than $1.5 billion in damages.

Similarly, severe hailstorms that swept through Queensland and New South Wales in October and November resulted in over 105,000 claims, adding up to a damage bill of $1.4 billion.

Insurers expect the overall damage bill will grow as claims from more local severe events are added.

But the cost is already huge compared to 2024, when the insurance bill from extreme weather came to $581 million – itself down from $2.35 billion in 2023.

The council said this demonstrated ”the unpredictable nature of extreme weather”.