Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has told customers in New South Wales and southern Queensland to prepare their homes and prioritise personal safety as a slow-moving weather system brings heavy rain to parts of eastern Australia. The message applies across IAG’s brands: NRMA Insurance, CGU, WFI Insurance, ROLLiN’, and RACQ Insurance.
IAG meteorologist Kathryn Turner said the system is pulling ocean moisture inland, sustaining rainfall and generating storms and large swells. Turner put the expected rainfall range at 20 to 150 millimetres across inland NSW and southern Queensland, with coastal areas also in the path of the system.
IAG executive manager property fulfilment Scott Lindsay said water entering a building is a recurring problem during extended wet spells. He identified cracked roof tiles, blocked or overflowing gutters, and gaps around window frames as the typical entry points, and said the consequences can extend beyond surface-level damage. “Water is a powerful force, and once it enters your home it can cause significant damage to walls, ceilings, and even the structural integrity of a building,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay said customers who can do so safely should clear gutters, downpipes, and drains before conditions worsen and keep windows and doors shut. He pointed to wind-driven rain as a frequent source of damage that can be avoided with basic precautions. Where water damage has already occurred, Lindsay said delayed action compounds the problem, leading to mould growth, persistent odour, and structural issues such as warping. “When water damage is left untreated, it can cause long term problems such as mould, odour, and structural damage including warping. If you have been impacted, contact your insurer as soon as possible,” he said.
Lindsay said the risk does not stop at residential properties. Cars, motorhomes, and other vehicles can sustain damage from rain, and he told customers to move them undercover or to higher ground if that is an option. Closed windows, he said, help prevent the kind of internal moisture buildup that leads to mould, rust, corrosion, and electrical faults. He also raised the dangers of driving during intense rainfall. “Most importantly, intense rainfall can quickly lead to flash flooding and can have tragic consequences so please never drive through flood waters,” he said.
The current weather event sits within a longer pattern of escalating weather-related losses. NRMA Insurance’s Wild Weather Tracker, a five-year dataset covering claims from March 2021 to February 2026, recorded close to 300,000 weather-related claims – a rate of roughly one claim every nine minutes. Across that period, weather events accounted for 57% of all home claims lodged with the insurer, with storms generating the most claims, followed by hail and floods. Nearly a third of the claims fell in summer and a further 30% in autumn, underscoring the year-round nature of the exposure.
The 2022 floods in northern NSW and southeast Queensland produced the single highest volume of claims in the five-year window. Thirty-one percent of Australians reported damage to a property or vehicle over the same period. NRMA Insurance meteorologist and executive manager natural perils Peter Chan said the range of hazards facing Australia is broad, and that climate trends point toward more frequent and intense events. “In Australia, we are exposed to just about every possible hazard, from fires and floods to severe thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. In a warming climate, extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and intense for many regions in Australia,” Chan said.
Consumer research conducted by Pureprofile on behalf of NRMA Insurance across February and March 2026, among 3,012 Australians, found that 46% are more concerned about weather-related property damage than they were five years ago. A separate finding showed 41% factor a property’s exposure to wild weather into purchasing decisions. The proportion of Australians with an emergency plan in place rose from 36% to 42% over the same five-year period, and 38% said they intend to take more preparation steps going forward.
