Research Past Weather at Your Address

By StormAuditor Editorial Team · Published 2026-07-15 · Updated 2026-08-20

Based on public NOAA and National Weather Service records, published under StormAuditor's methodology and data-source standards. Radar-derived hail sizes are estimates unless attributed to a ground report.

Understanding past weather events at a precise location is crucial for property owners, contractors, and researchers. StormAuditor provides comprehensive historical weather reports to help you investigate hail, wind, and severe weather occurrences.

Introduction

When a property sustains damage, one step is critical. You need to pinpoint the weather at that exact location on a specific date. This matters whether you are a property owner, contractor, insurance adjuster, or legal professional. Historical weather research provides valuable context. StormAuditor compiles detailed weather data for any U.S. address and date. We offer insights into severe thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds.

What Happened: Understanding Weather Events at Your Address

To determine what happened at a specific address, we analyze several key indicators:

  • Severe Thunderstorm Warnings: The National Weather Service (NWS) issues these warnings when severe weather is imminent. A severe thunderstorm has hail of 1.00 inch diameter (quarter-sized) or larger, or wind gusts of 58 mph (50 knots) or greater, or a tornado. If your property was within a warning polygon, it was in an area considered at risk for these conditions.
  • Hail: Hail size can vary a lot, even across small areas. StormAuditor uses advanced radar-derived products to estimate hail size at your location. The official severe hail threshold is 1.00 inch (quarter size). "Significant severe" hail is 2.00 inches (hen egg) or larger. For reference:
  • 1.00 inch: Quarter
  • 1.75 inch: Golf ball
  • 2.00 inch: Hen egg
  • 2.75 inch: Baseball
  • Wind Gusts: Strong winds from thunderstorms or other weather systems can cause significant damage. The NWS severe wind threshold is 58 mph. Winds of 70 mph are considered damaging. Winds above 85 mph are in the range of an EF0 tornado. StormAuditor provides estimates of peak wind gusts at your location.

These elements help reconstruct the weather footprint for a specific date and address.

How StormAuditor Measures It

StormAuditor draws on multiple authoritative data sources and careful methods to provide historical weather insights:

Hail Estimation (SAHE-2)

Our Storm Auditor Hail Estimate v2 (SAHE-2) relies primarily on MRMS MESH (Maximum Estimated Size of Hail) data. This radar-derived product provides high-resolution hail swaths. It estimates hail size at a very granular level. If MRMS MESH swaths intersect your property (with a 0.25-mile buffer), that is our primary indicator. We also use SPC (Storm Prediction Center) storm reports from trained spotters and NWS severe thunderstorm warnings. These corroborate and supplement the estimates. We report these as ESTIMATES, not direct measurements, because radar can have limitations.

Wind Estimation (SAWE-2)

For wind, our Storm Auditor Wind Estimate (SAWE-2) combines several data points. We use the NOAA URMA/RTMA gridded analysis of record for daily peak-gust backgrounds. It comes from the weather station or reanalysis point nearest your address. We cross-reference this with SPC wind reports from human observers. We also check NWS severe thunderstorm warning polygons that intersected your property. These layered data points give the most complete estimate of wind conditions at your location. Strong winds can be localized. Station data may not fully capture microbursts between stations.

Our "at location" data means the address point falls within a warning polygon or a hail swath (with a small buffer). If no "at location" data is found, we may show data for nearby distances (1 mile, 3 miles, 10 miles) for context. All our outputs are ESTIMATES, not direct measurements.

Limitations

StormAuditor provides robust historical weather data. Still, you should understand its limits:

  • Radar Accuracy: Radar-derived hail estimates (MESH) can sometimes under-estimate hail size, especially with wet hail. They can also over-estimate in very high reflectivity cores. These are estimates based on radar signatures, not direct measurements.
  • Wind Observations: Station-based wind observations are point measurements. They may miss highly localized, intense wind events like microbursts between stations. The actual peak gust at a specific property could differ from reported station values.
  • Warning Polygons: NWS Severe Thunderstorm Warning polygons cover a designated geographic AREA for a specific TIME window. A property within a polygon was under a WARNING. That does not definitively mean the property experienced the peak severe conditions (e.g., 1.00" hail or 58 mph winds). It means conditions were favorable for such events.
  • No Causation: StormAuditor provides historical weather context. We do not assess causation or specific damage. Determining the cause of damage requires on-site inspection by qualified professionals (e.g., engineers, adjusters).

Related StormAuditor Tools

Explore our tools to conduct your own historical weather research:

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between a weather warning and a weather watch?

A: A watch means conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop in or near the watch area. A warning means severe weather is occurring, imminent, or observed. Take immediate action to protect life and property.

Q: How accurate are StormAuditor's hail size estimates?

A: StormAuditor's hail estimates come primarily from MRMS MESH, an advanced radar product. These are highly detailed, but they are estimates based on radar signatures, not direct measurements. Radar can have limits. It may under-estimate wet hail or over-estimate in very high reflectivity cores. We present the best available data, backed by human reports and NWS warnings, but they remain estimates.

Q: Can StormAuditor tell me if my property was damaged by a storm?

A: No. StormAuditor provides historical weather data and estimates for a specific location and date. We do not assess property damage or determine causation. Our reports give valuable context for meteorologists, adjusters, contractors, and property owners. Still, only on-site inspection by qualified professionals can determine the cause and extent of any damage.

Q: What does 'significant severe' mean for hail and wind?

A: According to the NWS, "significant severe" applies to events even more impactful than regular severe criteria. For hail, it means hail >= 2.00 inches (hen egg size) or larger. For wind, it means wind gusts >= 75 mph. An EF2+ tornado is also considered significant severe.

Q: Where does StormAuditor get its weather data?

A: We compile data from authoritative sources. These include NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) for warnings, SPC (Storm Prediction Center) for storm reports, IEM (Iowa Environmental Mesonet) archives, and the NCEI Storm Events Database. We also use MRMS MESH via Hail Explorer for radar-derived hail, and NOAA ASOS/AWOS station records and the URMA/RTMA analysis for daily conditions. For more details, see our /data-sources page.