Frequently Asked Questions

Our weather team collectively has over 90 years of experience in the severe weather industry, and we utilize our expertise in mapping all our products. Each meteorologist hail, wind, hurricane, and tornado maps are made in real-time using live storm analysis by our in- house meteorologists and undergo multiple levels of accuracy checks to achieve the highest level of accuracy. Each storm is analyzed on radar and then verified by utilizing ground truth reports and photos to ensure our maps are indicative of what has happened at the ground.

Our meteorologist hail maps are created by hand by our team meteorologists as storms occur through analysis of dual-pol radar products and verification of ground truth reports. Further verification of maximum hail size within a storm is added through photos of hail found from the event from verified locations to ensure maximum accuracy. A similar blend of radar analysis and verifiable ground truth is utilized for the creation of our wind and tornado maps.

Our team of expert meteorologists track and analyze every severe weather event in real-time. The advantage to our customers is the maps being updated in real-time while they watch.

HailTrace not only does maps hail - they also provide map wind (max gusts), tornadoes, and hurricanes! We have recently entered into a contract with FEMA to be their resource for tornado maps.

We do offer wind maps depicting areas impacted by severe wind (58 MPH+). Our team uses the radar to analyse wind events similar to the way they generate hail maps. One of the key elements to mapping wind accurately is the presence of precipitation. Much like a dolphin using sonar underwater to determine where to go, precipitation must be present to reflect back to the radar to give an accurate depiction of the wind event.

With our annual subscription you do get access to our entire database of severe weather maps. This database goes back as far as to 2010 for hail and 2020 for wind.

For our hail maps, we have a star ranking system from 1 to 5. Numerous factors impact the map star ranking including the number of properties impacted by hail, the maximum hail size, and even initial probability of finding damage. The 5 Star maps are our most high profile maps and are saved for the most impactful storms each year! If you ever hear someone say its 5-Star day, get ready to put some work in!

You can do a print screen or screenshot if you would like. On the browser app, zoom into the area you want to print and use CONTROL-P for Windows and COMMAND-P for Mac. You can certainly get screenshots of maps but one of the great things about HailTrace is the ability to view maps on the go using our mobile app available for Apple and Android.

Yes! With HailTrace, you are able to find those “honey holes” by going to an area and searching for dates in the area, and loading multiple swaths on your screen. This means you can see exactly where several storms have hit a certain area which means potentially more damage!

We analyze past severe weather data to digitally investigate specific addresses for the historical impact of severe weather. Like a crime scene investigator, we are looking for radar evidence of hail or wind impacting a specific location.

A weather history report is a report that can be generated with historical severe weather that has impacted a contact’s address. This allows you to see the entire historical record in a print ready pdf that is file ready and shareable. The main difference in this and a Meteorologist Reviewed Report is that the data is compiled from our active database of storms and not reviewed by a meteorologist.

We offer full in-depth reports prepared for claims that are heading into a legal battle. The report is created with the intention that it is being submitted into court. Give us a call to speak to an expert.

Our weather team provides a daily update on severe weather forecasts curated to the restoration industry. Every day at 12 PM CT, a live forecast video is broadcast on our social media platforms providing the information most important to prepare for an upcoming severe weather event anywhere in the continental United States including information such as expected hail size, city specific timelines, and likelihood of seeing hail, damaging wind gusts, or tornadoes where it matters most to you. In addition to the daily updates, live continuous storm coverage is also broadcast via our social media platforms during significant severe weather events, giving viewers the up to the second updates on where the severe weather is happening down to street level. Our live storm coverage when used in conjunction with our maps will give you the needed edge to get to the hardest hit areas as quickly as possible. Finally, our chase team broadcasts live during storms such as major hail, nearby tornadoes, and even hurricanes! We give insight on what is happening at ground level and a live look at ongoing storms! If you are looking for in depth, easy to understand storm coverage, we’ve got it!

These are images of hail, hail damage, wind damage, or tornado damage that our team has compiled from various resources. These images are placed very near the location the image was taken and give a real-life example of the impacts by the storm.

With HailTrace, our meteorologists monitor the storm as it happens. Our accuracy means you won't go on a “wild goose chase”. This means you won't be left behind and you can focus on getting to your future clients before the competition!

With HailTrace, you can upload and create assets (which show on your map as asset pins) so that you can get notified when they are affected by a recent storm! With our notification system, you can be alerted when you have “Impacted HailTrace Assets” so you can pull a spreadsheet of only those clients in that storm swath. This means you can quickly contact your customers before the competition and see if they need an inspection. What a customer service WIN!

At HailTrace, our team of expert meteorologists uses over 10,000 hours of field study and radar experience to accurately track and analyze severe weather events across the United States. Our advanced weather mapping software provides the most precise and up-to-date information on areas impacted by hail, wind, tornadoes, and hurricanes, giving you a distinct advantage in generating revenue. With HailTrace, you can be confident that you have the most accurate and reliable weather data at your fingertips.

We like to think of HailTrace as a sales and opportunity-generating tool. The best part about that is that it allows us to tailor HailTrace to fit your team. Depending on your area and the way you do things, we can show you how to get the most out of our tools to help make you more money!

HailTrace is a subscription-based severe weather mapping service that gives you unlimited access to live maps and our archive of maps. We do allow free access to all of our 1-Star hail maps, or you may purchase individual maps if a subscription is not the best choice for you.

Creating an account is very easy, just select log in at the top of any page and then select the register link. We would be happy to give you a demo and answer any questions you may have prior to creating a paid subscription. Just give our office a call to set up.

The demo really accomplishes two things. It helps us understand you and what your company is about so we can fully customize a plan to fit your needs. It also allows us to highlight the areas we can help you find the most success.

Absolutely! With our canvassing subscription, you are able to create custom pins and assign canvassing regions. You can also verify the pin was dropped within 50 feet of the property.

With our optional Residential or Commercial Data Plan, you can download available data on either a single property, based on a storm swath, or by using our draw-out tool to focus on that prime location! It's the perfect solution to market to future customers!

We get prospect data from Cole information. While the data is not always perfect, it is updated quarterly to insure the most accurate results possible.

You are assigned a specific Customer Success Specialist that will guide you and coach you on how to leverage the tools HailTrace offers to generate opportunities 365 days a year. The best part is that you do not have to wait for a storm to find opportunities. We like to think of it as having your own personal trainer showing you how to make more gains in the HT gym.

We have on-demand video training sessions available to all of our customers to make sure you make the most out of your subscription. We have a library of helpful articles you can access and search as needed. And of course, our Customer Success Team is here to help walk you through any questions you may have!

A hail map shows you the big picture of where a storm hit so you can locate potential clients. Our weather reports, which include a Weather History report, a Meteorologist Reviewed Report, a Certified Report, and an Expert Report, helps you close a claim.

A Weather History Report includes the historical hail, wind/hurricane, and tornado storms that have impacted an address. This shareable PDF can be used as a sales tool with property owners and as evidence to close insurance claims by supporting the date of loss. A Reviewed Report takes a look at one date of loss of your choosing and has a meteorologist confirm the storm details are accurate. This report provides credibility for the date of loss filed for an insurance claim.

In a insurance claim dispute, a Certified Report tries to avoid court by providing a detailed analysis of a single date of loss and the related weather causations. The Certified Report is then signed off by our independent Forensic Meteorologist. The Expert Report is similar to the Certified Report but is designed for evidence in a court case. The Expert Report can span multiple dates of loss, be any type of severe weather, and retain our Forensic Meteorologist as an expert witness.

Our goal is to provide a storm or hail report that states what actually happened on the ground. Depending on where you are in the claim process, we have a few storm reports/hail reports to pick from. If you need supplementary evidence, a Reviewed Report by a meteorologist can confirm the date of loss details. If you want to provide stronger evidence and avoid court, the Certified Report is a deep analysis that can help fast-track insurance claim disputes. If you are headed to court, the Expert Report will provide unbiased evidence from our Forensic Meteorologist.

Yes! Our Expert Report allows you to have a consultation with our Forensic Meteorologist, retain them as a witness, and have them provide a court-ready weather report for your court case.