To find past weather for an address, start with the date and the information you need: hourly temperature, rainfall, wind, or nearby storm reports. You can search government archives yourself or use a service that organizes the available records. An address helps locate relevant data; it does not mean a weather instrument measured conditions at that property.
StormRecord offers a free preview for U.S. addresses from yesterday through the past three years. The complete PDF costs $9.99 for one address and one local calendar date, with no account or subscription required.
Start with the question you need answered
“What was the weather that day?” can mean several different things. Choosing the right record makes the search more useful.
| Your question | Look for | Check before drawing a conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Was it raining around the time of an incident? | Hourly precipitation and weather conditions | The time zone, reporting interval, and any missing values |
| How windy was it? | Wind speed and gust values | Whether the number is a gust, an average, or a separate storm report |
| Was hail reported nearby? | Regional hail reports and event narratives | The reported location and time; a county match alone is not a property match |
| Was a warning issued? | An available warning bulletin | Its effective period and geographic area, rather than just the county name |
A daily summary can answer a broad question about the day. For an incident at a particular time, inspect the hourly record and any relevant event timestamps.
For precipitation amounts, learn how to find historical rainfall totals by address and date.
How to search with StormRecord
- Enter the U.S. address and select the matching suggestion. Confirm the town and state before continuing.
- Choose the local calendar date. If you are investigating an event around midnight, consider whether you need to examine the neighboring date as well. Each purchased report covers one date.
- Read the free preview. Check the returned location, weather summary, and available regional records. Pay attention to any coverage or missing-data notices.
- Decide whether you need the PDF. The paid report organizes the available information into a document you can save and share. You can view the existing sample reports before purchasing.
A search may return useful hourly weather with no matching regional storm records. Those are separate kinds of information. An empty or unavailable archive result does not, by itself, establish that no storm occurred.
See how to read a historical weather report for annotated sample pages and explanations of hourly values, warnings, and regional records.
How to find weather records yourself
For a free starting point, use NOAA's Climate Data Online. Select a relevant dataset, location or station, and date range. Check that the chosen product contains the measurements and time detail you need. NOAA's Global Hourly dataset provides station observations, including temperature, wind, and other available elements.
For significant weather events, explore the NCEI Storm Events Database. Read the location and narrative attached to each result. Storm documentation serves a different purpose from a routine hourly weather record.
The practical tradeoff is the work of finding suitable records, understanding their fields, and arranging them for your use. A free archive may be all you need. A compiled report is useful when you want that information organized in one document.
What “weather by address” means in a StormRecord report
StormRecord requests a location-based weather compilation from Visual Crossing and adds available regional storm records. The nearby station identified for context is not necessarily the exclusive source of the hourly values. Weather can vary between a station, a reported storm location, and your property. The methodology page explains this distinction.
Keep three details together when saving a weather value: the number, its timestamp, and its source or geographic scope. A wind gust without that context is easy to misinterpret. Source corrections and later archive publications can also change the information returned by a new search.
Questions about historical weather searches
Can I look up the weather for a specific hour?
Yes, where hourly data is available. An hourly value does not necessarily establish what happened at an exact minute. Read its time label and reporting interval, and check for missing observations.
Can I search more than three years back?
StormRecord's current search window is yesterday through the past three years. Government archives may hold older records, depending on the station and dataset. Use those archives when your date falls outside StormRecord's window.
Does a warning prove that a storm hit my address?
No. A warning documents a hazard identified for a defined area and period. It is useful context, but it is not a measurement of damage or conditions at every property in that area. NWS explains watches and warnings.
Can I use the PDF for an insurance claim?
You can include it with your documentation. Ask the recipient what records they need. StormRecord provides an automated compilation, not a certified government record, damage assessment, or guarantee of acceptance. See what a weather report for an insurance claim should include.
Published by StormRecord.