National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

How to Report Significant Weather

Please include in your report, the location and time/date that the severe/notable weather occurred.

If you can supply a picture of the significant weather, please do by sending them to our social media accounts.

 

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1001, knowingly and willfully make any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry on this form is a crime punishable by fine and imprisonment.
When to Send a Storm Report

When you can do so safely, please send us a report when you observe one or more of the following:

high surf
  • Coastal Flooding
  • High Surf (9 feet or greater)
  • Heavy Rainfall/Flash Flooding
  • Wind damage
  • Tornado/Waterspout
  • Hail (Any size) 

Definitions:

  • Flash Flood: A life-threatening rapid rise of water which is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours. Also, at times a dam failure can cause a flash flood, depending on the type of dam and time period during which the break occurs.
  • Coastal Flood: Flooding of coastal area due to the vertical rise above normal water level caused by strong, persistent onshore wind, high astronomical tide, and/or low atmospheric pressure, resulting in damage, erosion, flooding, fatalities, or injuries.
  • Tornado: A violently rotating column of air, usually pendant to a cumulonimbus, with circulation reaching the ground. It nearly always starts as a funnel cloud and may be accompanied by a loud roaring noise. On a local scale, it is the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena.
  • Waterspout: A tornadic type of vortex that forms over water and are typically brief and weak. Can still cause damage and are hazardous to boats.
  • Severe Thunderstorm: A thunderstorm that produces a tornado, winds of at least 58 mph (50 knots), and/or hail at least 1" in diameter. Structural wind damage may imply the occurrence of a severe thunderstorm. A thunderstorm with  winds equal to or greater than 40 mph (35 knots) and/or hail of at least ½" is defined as approaching severe.
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