Insurers have received more than 3600 claims after strong wind and large hail swept through the Brisbane area last night – and a revamped Bureau of Meteorology website has been criticised for failing to properly track the storm.

Suncorp says the event caused “widespread damage” to properties, businesses and cars, and it has already received 2100 claims. Worst-hit areas included Bellbowrie, Jindalee, Moggill, Ripley, Ipswich and Redbank Plains.

The insurer says another 190 claims were lodged after severe weather in Victoria yesterday. Local media reports indicated some homes were damaged when a tornado hit Melbourne’s west.

Acting EGM for home claims customers Cath Stewart says staff in Suncorp’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) are working quickly to respond to claims.

“We began receiving claims yesterday evening as the storm system moved through southern Queensland, with large hail and strong winds reported as the main causes of damage.”

Ms Stewart says the team in Brisbane’s DMC will use geospatial mapping and AI to streamline the response. “We are using this technology to triage claims and mobilise our assessing teams and builders into the most severely impacted areas today.”

IAG told insuranceNEWS.com.au that across Queensland and Victoria it has received 1849 claims group-wide, including RACQ Insurance.

Meanwhile, Weatherwatch MD Anthony Cornelius wrote today on LinkedIn that he has received a “flood of emails and messages” from people unhappy with a recent redesign of the Bureau of Meteorology website.

He says the new radar underestimated the Queensland storm’s strength and was lagging, and the new design meant people could not find what they needed.

“It beggars belief that the BoM would roll out such a significant change to an essential infrastructure service just as the main storm season is about to start,” he wrote.

Mr Cornelius says the new radar uses different measurements and colours, and many reported it was “lagging behind real time”.

“The new data and formats provided on the BoM’s website have removed the certainty and confidence of many for those who would normally use it.  

“People who would look at the radar and then place their car under cover, or think they’ve got enough time to drive home before the storm, or think that the storm isn’t ‘too bad’ because it’s not showing the colours they normally associate with.

“You cannot change a major resource in the middle of storm season or during the middle of a severe weather (or active weather event).  

“Nor can you change the effective output of an essential tool like the BoM radar, or leave people in limbo wondering when the actual radar image they’re looking at was really taken.”

The Bureau of Meteorology says the new website has been available in beta mode for a year and community feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive”.

“As we saw with the relaunch of the BoM Weather app in 2020, a dip in customer satisfaction is expected as customers familiarise themselves with the new website,” a spokesperson said.

“We expect satisfaction to increase as customers become accustomed to the new website and discover its benefits.

“The bureau was in close contact with emergency services partners to ensure they had the information they needed to keep communities safe and effectively respond to emerging weather conditions.”

The Insurance Council of Australia says insurers will continue to monitor claims, and home and business owners should be on alert for “disaster chasers” that “will often offer clean-up or debris removal services but often leave the job poorly done or not completed.

“Speak to your insurer before authorising any repairs, signing any contracts or paying any cash up front.”

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