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:
Coastal Flooding
High Surf (9 feet or greater)
Heavy Rainfall/Flash Flooding
Wind damage
Tornado/Waterspout
Hail (Any size)
0.25" or less - Pea
0.50" - Mothball
0.75" - Dime/Penny
0.88" - Nickel
1.00" - Quarter
1.25" - Half Dollar
1.50" - Walnut/Ping Pong
1.75" - Golf Ball
2.00" - Hen Egg
2.50" - Tennis Ball
2.75" - Baseball
3.00" - Tea Cup
4.00" - Softball
4.50" - Grapefruit
Please note that 1.00 inch or greater hail is considered severe.
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.