HailEvidence → hail claim denied
Hail claim denied — "no storm of record"? That's a checkable claim.
A denial letter that says no qualifying storm occurred, or that the damage predates your policy, is making a factual statement about history — not a judgment call about your roof. The official weather record is public, and it's the same record carriers' own weather vendors read from.
What to check before you appeal
Pull every NWS-recorded hail and wind event near the property for the period in question. If the denial says "no storm of record" and the official record shows a qualifying event two miles away on the claimed date, the denial's factual premise has a problem — and a reconsideration letter can cite the event, the distance, and the official narrative directly instead of arguing from memory.
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.
Start free: what does the official record show near your address?
Type a street address — or just a ZIP code. We measure it
against every hail event the National Weather Service recorded in the last 10 years and show you
how many fall within 1, 3 and 10 miles — free, instantly, nothing stored. Rural property with no street
address? Enter coordinates as 44.05, -107.31.
Address lookup by the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. Records: NOAA NCEI Storm Events (final) plus SPC preliminary reports for storms newer than the latest compile — see methodology.
What a recorded event does and doesn't prove
An NWS record documents that hail of a given size was observed at a place and time — it doesn't by itself prove your specific damage came from that specific storm. What it does is take "no such storm happened" off the table as a factual objection, so the conversation moves to the damage itself. Remedies from there — reconsideration, appraisal, a department-of-insurance complaint — are policy- and state-specific; that's a question for your policy document or a licensed professional, not for us.
If the free lookup finds something relevant to the denial, the full report adds the citation, distance and narrative an adjuster can verify: Standard (10yr, hail) — $29 or Extended (15yr, hail & wind, appeal letter) — $49.
Related: denied as "cosmetic damage" instead? · how long you have to file a claim · how to look up NOAA hail reports by address · methodology & sources.
Common questions
My claim was denied because there was "no storm of record" — is that true?
It might be, or it might not — that's exactly what the NWS record can check. "No storm of record" is a factual claim about history, not a judgment call, and the same official data carriers' own weather vendors use is public. If a qualifying hail event is on record near your address on the date in question, that specific denial reason has a problem.
What if the denial says the damage predates my policy?
Same idea: that's a claim about when a storm happened, and the record either supports it or contradicts it. Every recorded hail and wind event near the property, dated, lets you check which storms actually happened in the window that matters — your coverage period, not the carrier's assumption about it.
Does finding a recorded storm guarantee my appeal wins?
No, and we won't tell you it does. A weather record documents that hail of a given size was observed at a place and time — it doesn't by itself prove your specific roof damage came from that specific storm. What it does is remove "no such storm happened" as a factual objection, so the argument moves to the actual damage.
What do I actually send with a reconsideration or appeal?
The disputed date, and for each relevant recorded event: its official source, size, distance from the property, and the forecast office's narrative. Attach the record itself — a citation an adjuster can verify — rather than a screenshot or a summary.
What if the record genuinely shows nothing near my address?
That happens — spotter and radar coverage misses storms, especially in rural areas. An empty result doesn't prove no hail fell; it means the official record can't help you make that specific argument, and you'd lean on other evidence (dated photos, a roofer's inspection, neighbors' claims from the same storm) instead. We'll tell you plainly if nothing turns up rather than stretch a distant event to fit.
Check the record before you appeal — $29
This page is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (final through 2026-06-30) and NOAA SPC daily storm reports (preliminary, loaded through 2026-10-25). Methodology & sources.