Severe Weather Data Inventory (SWDI)
The Severe Weather Data Inventory (SWDI) is an integrated database of severe weather records for the United States. SWDI enables a user to search through a variety of source data sets in the NCDC (now NCEI) archive in order to find records covering a particular time period and geographic region, and then to download the results of the search in a variety of formats. The formats currently supported are Shapefile (for GIS), KMZ (for Google Earth), CSV (comma-separated), and XML. The current data layers in SWDI are: Storm Cells from NEXRAD (Level-III Storm Structure Product); Hail Signatures from NEXRAD (Level-III Hail Product); Mesocyclone Signatures from NEXRAD (Level-III Meso Product); Digital Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm from NEXRAD (Level-III MDA Product); Tornado Signature from NEXRAD (Level-III TVS Product); Preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NOAA National Weather Service; Lightning Strikes from Vaisala NLDN.
- Cite dataset when used as a source.
| Search Data |
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| Download Data |
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| Distribution Formats |
- CSV
- XML
- Shapefile
- KMZ
- JSON
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| Ordering Instructions |
Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
| Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
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| Dataset Point of Contact |
Customer Engagement Branch
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
+1 828-271-4800
swdi.ncdc@noaa.gov
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| Time Period |
1995-01-01 to Present |
| Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 170.0
East: -65.0
South: 11.0
North: 72.0
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| Spatial Coverage Map |
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| General Documentation |
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| Associated Resources |
- The Severe Weather Data Inventory: a Geospatial Database of Severe Weather Data at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
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| Publication Dates |
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| Data Presentation Form |
Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
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| Dataset Progress Status |
Ongoing - data is continually being updated |
| Data Update Frequency |
As needed |
| Purpose |
To provides user access to archives of several datasets critical to the detection and evaluation of severe weather. |
| Dataset Citation |
- Cite dataset when used as a source.
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| Cited Authors |
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
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| Publishers |
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
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| Theme keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
- Earth Science Services > Data Analysis And Visualization > Geographic Information Systems > Web-Based Geographic Information Systems
- Earth Science Services > Data Analysis And Visualization > Geographic Information Systems > Desktop Geographic Information Systems
- Earth Science Services > Data Analysis And Visualization > Geographic Information Systems
- Earth Science Services > Environmental Advisories > Hydrological Advisories > Floods
- Earth Science Services > Environmental Advisories > Weather/Climate Advisories > Severe Weather
- Earth Science Services > Reference And Information Services > Subscription Services
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| Data Center keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
- DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
- DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC > National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
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| Use Constraints |
- Cite dataset when used as a source.
- An effort is made to use the best available information but because of time and resource constraints, information from these sources may be unverified by the NWS. Customers should be cautious as the NWS does not guarantee the accuracy or validity of the information. Further, when it is apparent information appearing in Storm Data originated from a source outside the NWS (frequently credit is provided), Storm Data customers requiring additional information should contact that source directly. In most cases, NWS employees will not have the knowledge to respond to such requests. In cases of legal proceedings, Federal regulations generally prohibit NWS employees from appearing as witnesses in litigation not involving the United States.
- SWDI provides a uniform way to access data from a variety of sources, but it does not provide any additional quality control beyond the processing which took place when the data were archived. The data sources in SWDI will not provide complete severe weather coverage of a geographic region or time period, due to a number of factors (eg, reports for a location or time period not provided to NOAA). The absence of SWDI data for a particular location and time should not be interpreted as an indication that no severe weather occurred at that time and location. Furthermore, much of the data in SWDI is automatically derived from radar data and represents probable conditions for an event, rather than a confirmed occurrence.
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| Fees |
- In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
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| Lineage information for: repository |
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| Processing Steps |
- 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
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Last Modified: 2023-06-23
For questions about the information on this page, please email:
ncei.info@noaa.gov
