What Is the NOAA Storm Events Database?
The NOAA Storm Events Database is the official US government record of severe and significant weather events — including verified hail — compiled by the National Weather Service. Records date back to 1950 and include the event date, location, magnitude, and a narrative. It is a primary, citable source used to confirm that a storm actually occurred.
What is in the database?
Each Storm Events record documents a single severe-weather occurrence: the type (hail, tornado, wind, flood, and so on), the date and time, the county and coordinates, the magnitude (for hail, the diameter), any deaths, injuries, and property damage, and a written narrative from the local NWS office. Hail records list the estimated stone size.
Why it lags — and why that's acceptable
Because each entry is reviewed by NWS staff, the database typically publishes 60 to 90 days after an event. That lag is the price of verification. For fresh storms HailScore relies on faster radar products like MRMS; for confirmation and citation it relies on Storm Events.
HailScore incorporates 299,000+ verified hail events from the NOAA Storm Events Database, alongside radar data, to balance speed with authoritative confirmation.
Why adjusters and attorneys value it
Because it is an official federal record with a clear chain of custody, the Storm Events Database is well suited to date-of-loss verification in insurance and legal contexts. HailScore's professional reports cite the underlying NOAA record IDs so the source can be checked independently — the data, not a proprietary opinion, does the talking.
Frequently asked questions
How far back does the Storm Events Database go?
Records begin in 1950, though the completeness and the types of events tracked have expanded significantly over the decades.
Is the Storm Events Database free to access?
Yes. It is public-domain US government data, hosted by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
Does HailScore use only the Storm Events Database?
No. It is one of six hail-data sources. HailScore also uses NEXRAD radar, live MRMS, SPC Local Storm Reports, NWS alerts, and CoCoRaHS for a more complete picture.
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