4 Data-Driven Strategies Insurers Should Use for Hail Preparedness

When severe hailstorms strike, the difference between a costly, reactive claims scramble and a well-coordinated, customer-focused response often comes down to one thing: data.

Across Australia, insurers are embracing a data-driven approach to hail preparedness that enables earlier decision-making, faster claims processing, and more satisfied customers.

HailAWARE’s real-time and forecast intelligence puts insurers in the best position to respond to hail events before, during, and after they happen. Here are four strategies to help your team harness the power of data this hail season.

Hailstorms can cause damage to assets fast, and insurers need to be prepared (image: Shutterstock)

Understand the Data You’ll Need,  Before, During & After the Storm

Not all hail data is created equal. Start by mapping your operational needs to the types of data that will support them at each stage of the event:

• Before the storm: Using  HailAWARE’s forecasting tools to identify high-risk areas and prepare embargoes with precision, avoiding unnecessary restrictions on unaffected regions.

• During the storm: Real-time hail tracking ensures your teams can monitor storm paths, intensity, and hail size as events unfold, allowing you to mobilise assessors and contractors immediately.

• After the storm: Post-event reporting showing hail footprint data provides exact impact zones and intensity levels, allowing you to validate claims, fast-track legitimate ones, and detect potential fraud.

By clearly identifying data needs for each stage, you can reduce operational blind spots and ensure your teams act with accuracy rather than guesswork.

View hail tracks and severity clearly overlaid on our interactive map in the AWARE platform (image: EWN)

Balance Forecast Models with Observational Data

Forecasting and observation both have a role to play,  but they serve different purposes.

• Forecast data: Predicts the likelihood, location, and severity of hail before it occurs. Essential for pre-positioning resources, communicating with brokers, and planning embargoes.

• Observational data: Shows exactly where hail actually fell, how large the stones were, and the extent of damage potential. Crucial for claims validation and contractor deployment.

HailAWARE gives you both up-to-date forecasts and real-time tracking data to ensure a complete and current picture,  allowing you to act decisively, whether it’s tightening an embargo window or prioritising high-impact postcodes for claims processing.

Integrate Data into Claims & Operational Workflows

Even the most sophisticated hail data is only valuable if your team can access and use it quickly. Integration is key:

• Connect HailAWARE data feeds directly into your claims management systems for instant impact mapping against policyholder addresses.

• Embed hail alerts into broker and portfolio management workflows, ensuring consistent and proactive communication.

• Train claims and catastrophe teams on interpreting hail tracks, intensity scales, and storm timing so they can make fast, accurate decisions.

The result is fewer delays, reduced miscommunication, and better customer experiences, even in high-pressure CAT event scenarios.

Post-event Hail Reports help to validate claims quickly and accurately (image: Shutterstock)

Use Post-Event Analytics to Improve Future Resilience

Every hailstorm provides valuable insight. Post-event data analysis can help you:

• Identify regions or asset types most vulnerable to hail, informing underwriting guidelines.

• Spot claim trends by hail size and density, supporting risk pricing models.

• Benchmark contractor response times and customer satisfaction during CAT events to improve operational readiness.

With HailAWARE’s post-event hail reports, you can transform storm data into long-term resilience strategies — reducing exposure, improving profitability, and strengthening customer trust season after season.

A data-driven hail response strategy is a competitive necessity for insurers. From early forecasting to post-event analysis, actionable hail intelligence enables faster decisions, more accurate claims processing, and stronger customer outcomes.

HailAWARE gives insurers the tools they need to manage hail risk with precision, before, during, and after the storm.

Talk to a Hail Specialist to see how HailAWARE can transform your hail preparedness this season.