Department of Commerce • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration • National Weather Service NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INSTRUCTION 10-1605 JULY 26, 2021 Performance and Evaluation, NWSPD 10-16 STORM DATA PREPARATION NOTICE: This publication is available at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/. OPR: W/COO11 (G. Strassberg) Certified by: W/COO1 (M. Sowko) Type of Issuance: Routine SUMMARY OF REVISIONS: This Directive supersedes National Weather Service Instruction (NWSI) 10-1605, dated July 16, 2018. The following changes were made: • Updated broken web links throughout the document. • Replaced references to casualties to fatalities/injuries for consistency. • Updated references to other NWS directives and made grammatical corrections. • Section 2.7 – Removed reference to using Verisk PCS for damage amounts. • Section 2.9.1 – Added policy guidance on reporting Flood, Flash Flood, and Debris Flow events, per Water Resources Services Branch. • Appendix A – Expanded definition and event narrative policy for reporting Debris Flow, and updated examples, per Water Resource Services Branch. • Appendix A – Updated reporting policy for Dust Storm events caused by thunderstorms, per Public and Severe Weather Programs. • Appendix A – Updated policy information for reporting Flash Flood events in Section 14.1, per Water Resources Services Branch. • Appendix A – Clarified Hail event sizes to be reported per Severe Weather Program. • Appendix A --Added policy to include reporting Snow Squalls in Winter Weather events, per Winter Weather Program. MURPHY.JOHN.DANIEL.1031 Digitally signed by MURPHY.JOHN.DANIEL.1031033540 033540 Date: 2021.07.12 17:57:21 -04'00' John D. Murphy Date Chief Operating Officer NWSI 10-1605 JULY 26, 2021 Storm Data Preparation Table of Contents: Page 1. Storm Data Disclaimer ............................................................................................................. ...2 1.1 Local Data Retention Requirements .............................................................................................................. 3 2. Storm Data Preparation ............................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Permitted Storm Data Events ...................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Storm Data Event Table ......................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Aircraft/Marine Incidents ........................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Time ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 2.3.1 Winter Weather Event Times ................................................................................................................. 6 2.3.2 Events that Span More than One Month ................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Location ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.5 Event Source ............................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5.1 Storm Data Event Source Table ............................................................................................................. 7 2.6 Fatalities/Injuries ........................................................................................................................................ 8 2.6.1 Direct Fatalities/Injuries ......................................................................................................................... 8 2.6.1.1 Specifying Direct Fatality Locations ................................................................................................. 9 2.6.1.2 Direct Fatality Location Table ........................................................................................................ 10 2.6.2 Indirect Fatalities/Injuries .................................................................................................................... 10 2.6.3 Delayed Fatalities ................................................................................................................................ 11 2.7 Damage ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.7.1 Flood-Related Damage ........................................................................................................................ 12 2.7.2 Crop Damage Data ............................................................................................................................... 12 2.7.3 Other Related Costs ............................................................................................................................. 13 2.7.4 Delayed Damage .................................................................................................................................. 13 2.8 Magnitude of Storm .................................................................................................................................. 13 2.9 Textual Description of Storm (Narrative) ................................................................................................. 13 2.9.1 Episode Narrative ................................................................................................................................ 13 2.9.2 Event Narrative .................................................................................................................................... 14 2.9.3 Cause of Event ..................................................................................................................................... 16 2.10 Pictures ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 3. Disposition of Storm Data ...................................................................................................... 16 4. Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Confirmation Reports ..................................................... ...16 4.1 Table of SPC Statistical Messages ............................................................................................................ 17 5. Event Types ............................................................................................................................ 17 APPENDIX A – Event Types……………………………………….…………………………A-1 APPENDIX B – Glossary of Terms……….…….………………….……………………….... B-1 1 Storm Data Disclaimer. Storm Data is an official publication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which documents: a. The occurrence of storms and other significant weather phenomena having sufficient intensity to cause loss of life, injuries, significant property damage, and/or disruption to commerce; b. Rare, unusual, weather phenomena that generate media attention, such as snow flurries in South Florida or the San Diego coastal area; and 2 NWSI 10-1605 JULY 26, 2021 c. Other significant meteorological events, such as record maximum or minimum temperatures or precipitation that occur in connection with another event. While Storm Data serves as official input to the National Weather Service (NWS) verification system for select programs, the primary purpose of Storm Data is to accurately describe events, regardless of the impact on verification scores. Some information appearing in Storm Data may be provided by or gathered from sources outside the NWS, such as the media, law enforcement and/or other government agencies, emergency managers, private companies, individuals, etc. An effort is made to use the best available information, but because of time and resource constraints, information from these sources may be unverified by the NWS. Accordingly, the NWS does not guarantee the accuracy or validity of the information. Further, when information appearing in Storm Data originated from a source outside the NWS (frequently credit is provided), Storm Data users requiring additional information should contact that source directly. In most cases, NWS employees will not have the knowledge to respond to such requests. In cases of legal proceedings, Federal regulations generally prohibit NWS employees from appearing as witnesses in litigation not involving the United States. Reference NWS Instruction (NWSI) 10-2005, Handling and Releasing Accident-Related Weather Information, or the NWS Forensic Services Program Manager for additional guidance. The determination of direct versus indirect causes of weather-related fatalities or injuries is not a legal determination and should not be considered as such. The determination is intended for internal NWS statistical review to assist NWS in its primary mission of issuing forecasts and warnings for hazardous hydrometeorological events. 1.1 Local Data Retention Requirements. All documentation used for the production of Storm Data will be retained locally for two years. Note: The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is the official custodian of NWS weather records and responds to requests for certified records for litigation purposes. 2 Storm Data Preparation.