StormProof → guides → Verifying a storm-chaser's claims before signing

Verifying a storm-chaser's claims before signing

After a major hail event, canvassing crews work the swath — and sometimes well beyond it, where "you probably have hail damage" is a sales theory rather than a documented event. The two-minute check: did the official record log ≥1-inch hail near this address on the claimed date? Our per-address reports answer precisely that, with distances; the public NCEI database answers it with a search.

The check protects both directions. Where the record confirms the storm, the homeowner files with confidence and the honest contractor's pitch is corroborated by the government's own data. Where it shows nothing within miles, a homeowner avoids a speculative claim that risks a denial on file and a premium history entry.

A roofer says my neighborhood was hit last month. How do I check?

Look for NWS-recorded hail events near your address for that period — the official record is public. Quarter size (1 inch) or larger nearby supports the pitch; an empty record within several miles is a flag to slow down, though absence of a report is not absolute proof no hail fell.

Should I file a claim "just in case" after a storm?

Claims appear in databases carriers share (CLUE) regardless of payout. The prudent sequence: verify the record, get a documented inspection, then file when there is documented damage from a documented event. This is general information, not insurance advice.

How do honest contractors use verification?

Leading with it: showing the homeowner the recorded events near their address before the inspection, and leaving the report in the file. It converts the most skeptical prospects precisely because it is checkable and not the contractor's own claim.

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