Between July 2020 and June 2026, 134 storms were declared for joint Commonwealth and state assistance, and council areas were named in them 594 times. Storm is the second most common reason for a disaster declaration after flood. 284 of the country’s 546 council areas were declared for storm at least once, and Victoria, with 205 declarations, had more than any other state. One Victorian council area, Baw Baw, was declared 16 times.
A declaration is an administrative act that opens government assistance. It is not a measure of wind, hail, damage or risk.
What is measured
The Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements are a cost-sharing arrangement between the Commonwealth and the states and territories, under which assistance is opened after a natural disaster. Each activation names the council areas it covers, and the National Emergency Management Agency publishes the list with the hazard it assigns to each event.
This article counts the events the agency lists as storms, for events that started between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2026. An event is one activation. A storm declaration is one council area named in one storm event. Of the 594 declarations, 570 are listed as storm, 22 as storm surge, all in Queensland, and 2 as tornado.
The label is the agency’s. Some events it lists as storms also brought flooding, and some it lists as floods began with a storm, so the line between the two is not sharp. A declaration covers a whole council area whatever share of it was affected, and it shows that assistance was opened, not how strong the wind was or how much damage was done. Companion articles cover every declared disaster by council area, flood declarations, bushfire declarations and tropical cyclones since 1972.
Year by year
Council-area storm declarations by year, July 2020 to June 2026
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. Storm declarations by the financial year in which the event started, with the number of separate storm events beside each bar. A storm declaration is one council area named in one event that the agency lists as a storm, storm surge or tornado and that was activated under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Events listed as a cyclone, a flood or a bushfire are not counted here.
Storm declarations do not follow the pattern of floods, which were concentrated in the first three years. The lowest year was 2022–23, with 37 declarations, and the highest was 2024–25, with 143 across 36 events.
| Year to June | NSW | Vic. | Qld | SA | WA | Tas. | NT | ACT | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 53 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 111 |
| 2021–22 | 10 | 58 | 22 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 133 |
| 2022–23 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 |
| 2023–24 | 0 | 40 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 70 |
| 2024–25 | 80 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
| 2025–26 | 32 | 40 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
| Six years | 180 | 205 | 81 | 29 | 85 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 594 |
| Storm events | 50 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 134 |
| Flood declarations | 458 | 147 | 376 | 36 | 32 | 53 | 47 | 0 | 1,149 |
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm and flood events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. Storm declarations by state and by the financial year in which the event started. The lower rows count separate storm events and, for comparison, flood declarations over the six years. A storm declaration is one council area named in one event that the agency lists as a storm, storm surge or tornado and that was activated under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Events listed as a cyclone, a flood or a bushfire are not counted here.
Victoria had 205 storm declarations in the six years and New South Wales 180. In Victoria, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, storm declarations outnumber flood declarations; in every other state flood is ahead, narrowly in South Australia (36 against 29). New South Wales had no storm declaration in 2023–24 and 80 the year after. All but 5 of South Australia’s 29 come from one event in October 2021.
When storm events start
Storm events by the month in which they started
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. The 134 storm events by the month in which each started, shown from July to June.
86 of the 134 storm events started between October and February. December has the most, with 20, and May the fewest, with 4. Storm events were declared in every month of the year.
The size of events
The average storm event named 4.4 council areas. 42 of the 134 events named one council area, and 109 named five or fewer. The five largest events account for 24% of all storm declarations; three of them are Victorian, each naming between 28 and 39 council areas.
How often council areas are declared for storm
Council areas by number of storm declarations, July 2020 to June 2026
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. The 546 council areas with a population estimate, by number of storm declarations, with the share of their residents beside each bar. Residents are the ABS estimated resident population at 30 June 2025 (Regional Population, 2024–25).
262 council areas were not declared for storm in the six years; they hold 38.7% of residents. 25 council areas were declared five or more times, and they hold 15.0% of residents, which is a large share for so few council areas because several of them are populous.
Of the 284 council areas declared for storm, 232 were also declared for flood in the same six years and 52 were not. 110 council areas had more storm declarations than flood declarations.
State by state
Share of residents in a council area declared for storm three or more times, by state
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. Share of each state’s residents living in a council area declared for storm three or more times; the share living in one declared at least once is shown beside each bar. The Australian Capital Territory, which has no council areas, is not shown. Residents are the ABS estimated resident population at 30 June 2025 (Regional Population, 2024–25).
Queensland has the highest share of residents in a council area declared for storm three or more times, 61.6%, although it has fewer storm declarations than Victoria or New South Wales. The reason is the size of its council areas: 4 Queensland council areas with more than 300,000 residents were each declared three or more times, and they hold 53% of the state’s population. In Victoria the share is 30.7% and in New South Wales 19.1%.
These differences reflect where storms struck in six years and also how each state uses the arrangements. States decide when to seek activation and whether to treat a run of storms as one event or several, so the counts are not a like-for-like measure of storm hazard between states.
The council areas declared for storm most often
| Council area | State | Storm declarations | Flood declarations | Residents, June 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baw Baw | Vic. | 16 | 3 | 62,784 |
| South Gippsland | Vic. | 10 | 4 | 31,109 |
| Yarra Ranges | Vic. | 10 | 6 | 160,906 |
| Wellington | Vic. | 8 | 4 | 46,551 |
| East Gippsland | Vic. | 7 | 6 | 49,669 |
| Nillumbik | Vic. | 7 | 2 | 63,797 |
| Wingecarribee | NSW | 7 | 7 | 53,840 |
| Bega Valley | NSW | 6 | 7 | 36,921 |
| Greater Geelong | Vic. | 6 | 1 | 295,052 |
| Macedon Ranges | Vic. | 6 | 4 | 54,464 |
| Murrindindi | Vic. | 6 | 3 | 15,648 |
APN calculation based on National Emergency Management Agency data: DRFA Activation History by LGA, storm and flood events starting 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2026, file of 11 August 2026. Council areas declared for storm six or more times, with their flood declarations in the same period. Residents are the ABS estimated resident population at 30 June 2025 (Regional Population, 2024–25).
Eleven council areas were declared for storm six or more times: nine in Victoria and two in southern New South Wales. Eight of the Victorian ones are in Gippsland or the ranges around Melbourne; the ninth is Greater Geelong. Baw Baw, in west Gippsland, was declared 16 times, 6 more than any other council area in the country.
What this does not show
A storm declaration says nothing about any particular property. It covers a whole council area, so a declaration can follow damage in a few streets or along one valley. It is not a map of where storms strike and not a forecast: an area with no declaration in six years can be hit, and most properties in a declared council area were not damaged. The count leaves out storms that were not declared and storm damage recorded under a cyclone or a flood. Six years is a short period.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2024–25) Regional Population [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release], ABS Website, accessed 13 October 2026.
- National Emergency Management Agency (Reference period: events to June 2026) DRFA Activation History by LGA (file of 11 August 2026) [https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/drfa-activation-history-by-lga], accessed 13 October 2026.
National Emergency Management Agency material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. ABS material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Calculations, standardisations and index readings are APN’s and are not attributable to the ABS.
Disclaimer
The analysis and information contained in this publication are for general informational and strategic purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, or any other form of professional advice. Australian Property Network is not a licensed financial advisor. Property values and market conditions can go up or down. Before making any property or investment decisions, you must conduct your own thorough research and seek independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances. Images are for illustrative purposes only. E.&O.E.
Findings are presented on the basis of data and evidence alone.
