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NOAA SPC Data

Overview

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is part of the National Weather Service and provides severe weather forecasts, watches, and warnings for the United States. It specializes in forecasting severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other hazardous weather phenomena with high-resolution spatial and temporal precision.

Data Specifications

  • Provider: NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  • Frequency: Real-time and daily forecast cycles
  • Data Latency: Minutes to hours
  • Data Type: Event-based severe weather reports and probabilistic forecasts
  • Temporal Coverage: 1950 to present (comprehensive from 1970s)
  • Data Format: Text, CSV, KML, Shapefile
  • Coverage: Continental United States

Variables

Onboarded Variables

The following severe weather parameters are currently implemented in Riskwolf's data processing pipeline:

Variable Units Description
Live tornado events events Real-time tornado occurrence reports
Live hail events events Real-time hail storm reports
Live wind events events Real-time severe wind reports
Tornado forecast probabilities probability Day 1-3 tornado occurrence probability
Hail forecast probabilities probability Day 1-3 hail occurrence probability
Wind forecast probabilities probability Day 1-3 severe wind probability
Categorical forecasts probability Overall severe weather risk categories

Available Variables

Additional severe weather parameters that can be onboarded from NOAA SPC:

  • Severe thunderstorm watch and warning products
  • Mesoscale discussions and convective outlooks
  • Hail size estimates and damage assessments
  • Wind speed measurements and damage reports
  • Storm motion vectors and track predictions
  • Atmospheric sounding data and instability indices
  • Convective parameters (CAPE, wind shear, helicity)
  • Storm-relative environmental analysis
  • Post-event storm surveys and damage assessments
  • Long-term climatological severe weather patterns

Key Features

  • Real-time severe weather event reporting and verification
  • Probabilistic forecasting with skillful accuracy out to 3 days
  • Integration with National Weather Service warning operations
  • Comprehensive historical database for climate and trend analysis
  • Advanced mesoscale meteorological analysis and modeling

Use in Parametric Insurance

NOAA SPC data is valuable for:

  • Severe weather parametric insurance triggers
  • Tornado, hail, and wind event-based payouts
  • Probabilistic risk assessment and pricing models
  • Real-time event monitoring and claims processing
  • Historical severe weather frequency analysis
  • Multi-peril weather product development
  • Early warning systems for risk mitigation

Data Access

Data is freely accessible through NOAA's data services, including real-time feeds, historical archives, and API access for both operational and research applications.

Official URL: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/

Link verified: ✅ Active (HTTP 200) - Last checked: 2025-09-24