



The tables below provide the links to comma separated value (.csv) files for tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind, as compiled from NWS Storm Data. Tornado reports exist back to 1950 while hail and damaging wind events date from 1955. The full hail and wind datasets are very large. To facilitate quicker downloads these data have been parsed by decade (1950s through 1990s), and half-decade, or less (from 2000 to the present). Tornado data are provided in raw csv file format below. Actual tornado tracks only (not including individual state segments) are provided in the "Actual_tornadoes.csv" file. Again, please read the format specification for the tornado data.



Please read this document carefully as it describes the format of the .csv files (especially important for tornadoes!). Note 1: The NWS changed criteria for severe hail from 0.75 inch minimum to 1.00 inch minimum in 2010. For legacy purposes, 0.75 inch hail reports will continue to be included in the annual hail csv files. Download the files and sort accordingly if needed. Note 2: See last two pages of the database specification document about the addition of the estimated F-scale column "fc", added to tornado.csv data in 2015.



*** Changes made to the database in 2016 for the 1950-2015 U.S. tornado records ***



Estimated F-scale ratings were calculated for over 1800 tornadoes in the database previously rated with an F-scale entry of -9 (unknown). The scheme used to modify unknown F-scale to estimated F-scale is described in this document:



www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/OneTor_F-scale-modifications.pdf



For all tornadoes modified in the database, a new information field was added to the database in 2016. The "fc" field (29th column of information in OneTor). "fc" is set to 1 for any tornado with a prior F-scale rating of -9. Thus, it is easy to filter previously unknown ratings, if desired. Please note! Tornadoes were likely underreported prior to 1953. Many tornado statistics are derived from 1953 (or later) to the present. Also, keep in mind that off-CONUS tornadoes are included in the latest version of the 1950-2015 tornado data. These events, while small in total count, include tornadoes in AK, HI, PR, and DC. It is best to filter results carefully when making queries on the tornado database.



It should also be noted that these data are used by the NWS for verification purposes and may not accurately reflect all storm events. Monetary loss information is highly suspect and should be used with caution, if at all. This article provides a good overview about the shortcomings in the NWS severe weather data provided here.





!!! IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE SPC SEVERE WEATHER DATABASE !!! Read the new change log for latest information/udpates.