Keep the record’s geography and status
NOAA’s Storm Events Database organizes reported events by location and date. Save the event identifier, reported location, source, and retrieval date. A nearby reported hail size or wind speed should not be relabeled as a measurement taken at your address.
Allow for incomplete or delayed reports
The National Weather Service notes that formal storm records become available after a delay and an unlisted event may simply not have been reported. Avoid treating either a nearby report or an empty search as definitive proof about the property.
Connect it to the claim file
- Record when the owner first observed the damage.
- Keep roof inspection findings and earlier condition records alongside the weather material.
- Ask the insurer which weather documentation is relevant to its review.