Forensic Weather Consultants reports help adjusters, engineers and attorneys involved in property damage or personal injury cases involving wind. These claims may (or may not) have been caused by strong to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, or area-wide wind events following a strong cold front, for instance. Other times they may involve a fallen tree or blown-down sign when the winds were light. Our research, findings and written reports help our clients make important decisions in wind-created opening claims, roof leaks, scaffolding and crane collapses, and fallen trees and tree limbs.
Wind and Tornado Claims
Wind, Thunderstorm and Tornado Reports for Any Address
It can be very difficult to determine if high winds or a tornado occurred at a specific incident location. Thunderstorms and tornadoes can be short-lived and they often go unreported on NOAA records. A thunderstorm microburst usually lasts only 2-5 minutes and covers an area of less than 2.5 miles. Many times severe winds in these thunderstorms aren’t recorded, don’t move over airports, or weaken by the time they are measured. It does not mean that intense winds didn’t occur at the incident location. Other times, a date of loss is based on a TV news report, a county weather warning, or a Local Storm Report when a thunderstorm wasn’t even close to the property. In personal injury claims, falling trees, or scaffolding collapses, it is important to find out how high the winds were, when they occurred, and if they were well forecasted. The way to find out what was occurring is through a reliable, site-specific analysis.
Similar to the other types of cases we work on, we can perform a detailed analysis for the exact incident location to determine how high the winds were, if a tornado occurred, or if the thunderstorms or high winds were forecasted. If requested, we also prepare Federal Rule 26 reports that list all of the sources of data relied upon, the methodology employed, numerous images and data, and our conclusions. These reports can be used internally to document a claim, submitted to the court with a sworn affidavit, exchanged, or given to other experts such as engineers so they can include our findings in their calculations, conclusions and reports. Using this approach reduces the chance for a Daubert challenge or court ruling precluding crucial evidence and opinions of non-meteorologists.