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Weather evidence in the appraisal process

Appraisal resolves valuation disputes through party-appointed appraisers and an umpire. While appraisal is nominally about amount rather than coverage, panels in hail disputes constantly weigh which storm, what size, and what scope is storm-attributable — and the panel member with the checkable record sets the factual frame.

Effective appraisal weather packages are short and verifiable: the candidate events table (date, size, distance, source ID), the narratives verbatim, the provenance and vintage stamps, and nothing argumentative. Umpires are chosen for credibility, not patience; a package whose every row can be verified against a public database in minutes is the one that gets adopted into the award's reasoning.

Is weather data even admissible in appraisal?

Appraisal is contractual, not a court — panels consider what they find credible. Official records with citations are routinely relied on; modeled vendor swaths get weighed more skeptically, especially when they disagree with ground reports.

What if the two appraisers' weather data disagree?

Reconcile to source: both vendor products sit on the same NOAA records. Pull the official rows for the disputed dates and the disagreement usually localizes to a modeling layer one side can no longer defend.

Does the umpire need certified records?

Rarely — appraisal is informal. If the dispute later lands in litigation, the same rows can be ordered certified from NCEI.

Sources and standing caveat

Official records referenced throughout: NCEI Storm Events Database (the official NWS storm record, 1950–present) and SPC daily storm reports (preliminary, same-day). NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. Nothing on this page is legal, insurance, or public-adjusting advice — deadlines, coverage and remedies are policy- and state-specific.

Put the record in the file

A per-address verification report compiles every NWS-recorded hail and wind event within 1, 3 and 10 miles of any US address — distances, official narratives, citations, provenance labels — formatted as an insurance-appeal attachment, hosted on HailEvidence (the neutral evidence surface).

Unlimited reports — Pro $99/mo Single report $29