NOAA's Storm Events Database is one of the most comprehensive weather hazard datasets in the world. It records every significant weather event in the United States, from tornadoes to floods to extreme heat. Here's how to interpret this data for your area.
What NOAA Tracks
The Storm Events Database catalogs events that cause significant property damage, injuries, deaths, or are otherwise noteworthy. Categories include: tornadoes, thunderstorm wind, hail, lightning, floods, flash floods, winter storms, ice storms, extreme cold, extreme heat, hurricanes, tropical storms, rip currents, high surf, and more.
How Events Are Recorded
Local National Weather Service offices document events based on reports from spotters, emergency management, media, and the public. Each event includes location (county/zone), date, magnitude (wind speed, hail size, tornado rating), damages, injuries, and deaths.
Using Event Counts as Risk Indicator
ZipRiskMap counts severe weather events by county over the last 10 years and converts this to a percentile rank. A county in the 80th percentile has experienced more severe weather events than 80% of US counties. This gives a data-driven measure of how "weather-active" your area is compared to the national baseline.