Guide
How to get NOAA weather data for an insurance claim
Updated October 15, 2026
All of the weather records an insurer looks at are public and free. They are spread across several NOAA and NWS sites. Here is where to find each one for your address and date of loss.
1. Write down the exact location and date
Use the property's coordinates, not just the city. Use the local date: a storm at 11 pm local time is already the next day in UTC, which many NOAA files use. If you're not sure of the date, see how to check your date of loss.
2. Check storm reports for the day
The Storm Prediction Center storm reports list hail, wind and tornado reports for each day, with times and positions. They are preliminary but available the next morning. Note how far each report is from the property.
3. Search the NOAA Storm Events Database
The NCEI Storm Events Database is NOAA's reviewed record. Search by state, county and date. It includes hail sizes, wind speeds, damage notes and tornado paths. It appears a few months after the month ends, so a recent storm may not be there yet.
4. Get measured wind from the nearest station
Find the nearest airport weather station and download its hourly observations from NOAA's Climate Data Online or Global Historical Climatology Network – hourly (GHCNh). Look for the gust values during the storm. See how to read wind speed for a specific date.
5. Check whether the property was under a warning
The Iowa Environmental Mesonet warning search lets you search warnings by point. It shows severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings whose area contained that location, with the bulletin text.
6. Look for radar hail
NOAA's Severe Weather Data Inventory has NEXRAD hail detections by area and date. They estimate hail aloft, so treat them as supporting evidence alongside ground reports.
7. Put it together with distances
For each record, write down its distance and direction from the property and the source it came from. An adjuster will weigh a measured gust 3 miles away differently from a report 20 miles away.
Need records certified for court? That is a separate NCEI service: see certified weather records.
Related
- How to check the weather on your date of lossWhy the date of loss matters for a weather claim, how to confirm which day the storm hit your address, and what to do when the damage was found days or weeks later.
- How to find the wind speed at an address on a specific dateWind is measured at weather stations, not at every address. How to find the nearest station, read gusts versus sustained wind, and judge how close the measurement is.