Storm and Hail Season Checks for Sydney Drivers

This guide is for Sydney drivers heading into storm and hail season. It covers the electrical checks worth doing before the storms arrive, how water gets into a car's wiring, what to look at after hail, and what to do if your car has been through floodwater.

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Sydney's storm season and its big hailstorms

The NSW SES says the official storm season runs from 1 October to 31 March. That is when most severe thunderstorms hit Sydney, often in the late afternoon after a hot, humid day. But big storms can come outside those months too.

One of Sydney's costliest hailstorms struck on 14 April 1999, with hailstones of up to about 9 cm across and insured losses of around $1.7 billion. More recently, on 20 December 2018, a severe storm dropped hail up to about tennis-ball size across parts of Sydney. The Insurance Council of Australia put the insured loss at about $1.27 billion from more than 136,000 claims. Keep an eye on BOM warnings for NSW when the weather turns.

Wipers, washers and lights

Storms in Sydney often bring rain so heavy you can barely see the car in front. This is when worn wipers, a dead washer pump or a blown globe matter most. Check these before October.

• Wiper blades should clear the screen in one sweep without streaks, chatter or smearing. Replace them if the rubber is cracked or hard.
• Test the wipers on every speed, including intermittent. A wiper motor that slows down or stops mid-sweep needs checking.
• Fill the washer bottle and make sure the jets actually reach the glass.
• Walk around the car with the headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators and fog lights on. Our guides on changing a headlight globe and replacing a brake light globe show you how.
• Look for fogging or water pooling inside headlight and tail light lenses. It means a seal has failed, and water inside a light shortens globe life and corrodes the contacts.

How water gets into the wiring

Cars are built to shed water, but seals age. Door membranes behind the trim panels tear, tail light gaskets shrink and grommets where wiring passes through the body dry out. In a heavy downpour water finds those gaps and runs down onto connectors, fuse boxes and modules.

Water itself isn't the only problem. It leaves moisture that slowly turns copper pins green with corrosion, sometimes weeks after the storm. That is why electrical faults often appear a while after heavy rain. Watch for these signs.

• Warning lights that come and go, especially after rain.
• Central locking, power windows or interior lights acting up.
• Damp carpet in the footwells or a wet spare wheel well.
• A musty smell in the cabin or fogging that won't clear.
• Blown fuses with no obvious cause. See how to check and replace a fuse.

Clear the sunroof and scuttle drains

If your car has a sunroof, the tray around it drains through small tubes that run down the pillars. Leaves, seeds and blossom from Sydney's street trees block them quickly, and then the water overflows into the headlining and runs down to the footwell. On many cars that is right where the body control module or wiring junctions sit.

The scuttle panel below the windscreen has drains too, and blocked ones can let water into the cabin or onto the wiper motor and electrical parts in that area. Lift the bonnet and clear out any leaves. To test sunroof drains, open the roof and pour a small cup of water into the tray corner. It should drain away quickly and run out under the car. If it doesn't, have the drains cleared before the next big storm.

After a hailstorm

Once the storm has passed and it is safe, check more than the paint. Hail can crack headlight and tail light lenses, mirror glass and indicator housings, which then let water in. Many newer cars also have cameras and radar sensors in the windscreen, grille, bumpers and mirrors for driver assistance features. If a cracked windscreen or bumper is replaced, those systems may need recalibrating. Report the damage to your insurer and take photos before anything is moved or fixed.

If a dashboard warning appears after hail or heavy rain, don't ignore it. Our guide on what to do when a dashboard warning light comes on helps you judge how urgent it is.

Floodwater: if it's flooded, forget it

The NSW SES message is simple: "If it's flooded, forget it." Never drive, walk or ride through floodwater. It can be deeper and faster than it looks, the road underneath may be washed away, and a car can float or stall in surprisingly shallow water. Sydney has plenty of creeks and low points that flood quickly in a storm, so plan another route. For help in a flood or storm call the NSW SES on 132 500, and in a life-threatening emergency call Triple Zero (000). The NSW SES website has current safety advice.

If your car has already been through water, or was parked where water came up around it, treat it carefully.

• If the engine stalled in water, don't try to restart it. Water in the engine can cause serious damage. Get it towed.
• If water came into the cabin, don't drive it until it has been checked. Modules, connectors and airbag parts often sit under the seats and carpet. Airbag systems are for qualified professionals only.
• Hybrids and EVs have high-voltage systems. If one has been in floodwater, stay clear of it, don't try to charge or start it, and leave it to licensed professionals.
• Tell your insurer straight away, before any repair work.
• Even if the car seems fine, watch for electrical faults over the following weeks as corrosion sets in.

Where to park when a storm is coming

When the BOM issues a severe thunderstorm warning, move the car under cover if you can do it safely before the storm arrives. Avoid parking under trees, which can drop branches, and stay out of low spots and basement car parks that are known to flood. For help with water damage or electrical faults after a storm, auto electricians in areas such as Hornsby and the Hills and the Northern Beaches see this kind of work every summer.

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Questions Sydney drivers ask

When is storm season in Sydney?

The NSW SES says the official storm season runs from 1 October to 31 March each year. Severe thunderstorms are most common in those warmer months. Big storms can still happen outside the season, though. Sydney's huge April 1999 hailstorm struck after the season had officially ended, so it pays to watch BOM warnings all year round.

My car drove through deep water and seems fine. Should I worry?

It is worth getting it checked. Water can get into connectors, the starter, the alternator and wiring under the carpet, and corrosion can take weeks to cause faults. If water reached the cabin or the engine stalled, don't keep driving it. Tell your insurer and have the car inspected before problems appear. Next time, remember the NSW SES advice: if it's flooded, forget it.

Why do my warning lights come on after heavy rain?

Usually it means water has reached a connector, sensor or module. Common culprits are leaking door membranes, blocked sunroof or scuttle drains and failed light seals. Sometimes the light goes out once things dry, but corrosion may already have started. If a warning keeps coming back after rain, have an auto electrician find where the water is getting in and check the affected wiring.

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