What Are Storm Events and How Do They Affect Your Disaster Risk?
Storm Events are records of severe weather occurrences—tornadoes, hail storms, blizzards, hurricanes, and other storm phenomena—that have been observed and documented in a given area. They matter because they tell you what kinds of storms have actually happened where you live, how often, and how severe they were. That historical record is one of the most practical inputs for judging your own storm risk. On Augurisk, you can check a disaster and crime risk report for your home, city, or neighborhood, which places storm-related hazards alongside other risks like flooding and wildfires.
What Counts as a Storm Event
Storm Events is a broad category. It covers the storm itself and the conditions that come with it. Based on the hazard types Augurisk tracks, storm events include:
- Hurricanes – tropical systems with wind, rain, and coastal flooding
- Tornadoes – rotating wind events, often short-lived but intense
- Hail Storms – ice precipitation that can damage roofs, vehicles, and crops
- Blizzards – heavy snow combined with wind and low visibility
- Coastal Flooding – storm-driven water rise along coastlines
Each type behaves differently. A hail storm may strike a narrow band while a hurricane affects an entire region. Knowing which types appear in your area's history is the first step in understanding your exposure.
Why Storm Event History Matters for Your Risk
A single storm tells you little. A pattern of storm events over years or decades tells you a lot. When you look at storm event records for a location, you can ask:
- Frequency – How often do storms of this type occur?
- Intensity – Were past events minor, or did they cause significant damage?
- Seasonality – Do storms cluster in certain months?
- Geography – Are some neighborhoods or counties hit more than others?
This is why storm event data feeds directly into risk assessment. A county with a long record of tornadoes carries a different risk profile than one with occasional hail. Augurisk's platform includes 12 proprietary risk models, and storm-related hazards are part of that framework.
How to Check Storm and Disaster Risk for Your Location
Augurisk provides an instant disaster and societal risk report for a home, city, or neighborhood. The report uses risk levels from Very Low to Very High.
To check your area:
- Go to Augurisk and enter your home, city, or neighborhood.
- Review the disaster risk rating for your location.
- Look at the state-level pages to see which hazards are emphasized. For example, Augurisk lists Crime & Flood Risk for most states, but Crime & Wildfire Risk for states like California, Idaho, and Oregon, and Crime & Disaster Risk for places like Kentucky, Missouri, and Puerto Rico.
- Compare your local rating against the state context to see whether your risk is typical or elevated.
The state-level labels matter because they signal which hazards dominate in that region. If you live in a state tagged for flood risk, storm-driven flooding is likely a bigger concern than, say, wildfire.
Combining Storm Events with Other Hazards
Storm events rarely act alone. A hurricane brings coastal flooding. A blizzard can be followed by flooding when snow melts. Hail may accompany severe thunderstorms that also spawn tornadoes.
That is why Augurisk's risk reports cover multiple hazard types together—flood, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, drought, and earthquakes. A complete picture means looking at:
| Hazard | How It Connects to Storm Events |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Often triggered or worsened by storm rainfall |
| Hurricanes | A storm event category itself, with wind and water impacts |
| Tornadoes | Frequently occur within larger storm systems |
| Hail | A direct storm event with property damage potential |
| Coastal Flooding | Driven by storm surge and rising sea levels |
If your area shows elevated flood risk alongside a history of storm events, the two factors reinforce each other. If your area is tagged for wildfire risk instead, storm events may still matter—but through different mechanisms, such as lightning-triggered fires or post-storm vegetation growth.
What to Do with This Information
Once you know your storm event exposure and overall risk rating, you can make more informed decisions:
- Before buying or renting – Check the risk report for the specific address, not just the city.
- For insurance planning – Understand which storm types are most likely so you can review whether your coverage addresses them.
- For emergency preparation – If tornadoes are common in your area's history, prioritize shelter planning. If blizzards are, prioritize heating and supply backups.
- For community awareness – County-level audits and state pages can help you see whether your risk is shared across the region or specific to your neighborhood.
Storm Events are not just weather trivia. They are the historical evidence that shapes how likely and how severe future storms may be in your area. Using a tool like Augurisk to check your home's disaster and crime risk report turns that evidence into a rating you can act on.