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AccuWeather Forensics

AccuWeather, the world's most trusted leader in weather, leverages proven Superior Accuracy™ and hundreds of years of combined expertise from American Meteorological Society (AMS)-Certified forensic meteorologists to deliver unrivaled credibility in legal proceedings and reports.

Forensic Meteorology Services

Forensic meteorology is the analysis of historical weather data involving the reconstruction of past weather conditions at a specific time and location to better determine the impact on events related to legal cases, insurance claims and accident investigations.

Most of these situations require comprehensive knowledge of weather conditions, atmospheric processes and the ability to analyze historical weather data, including radar imagery, surface observations and satellite imagery, to best determine the weather conditions down to an exact location and a specific time frame to better understand what role the weather might have played in a specific incident.

When an impactful event occurs, such as hail damage, roof collapse, or a slip-and-fall, weather is a common factor. Site-specific reports and analysis are used to better determine the role the weather played in the incident, bringing more credibility to the case. When requested, AccuWeather provides expert testimony to bring more credibility to the site-specific reports, providing a deeper understanding and making it easier for juries to understand the role the weather played, helping to deliver better outcomes.

Forensics FAQ

Here are a few of the many ways AccuWeather can help your case:

  • Expert Interpretation

    AccuWeather's forensics team reconstructs past weather events down to an exact street address and time frame — to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty — analyzing data from all available sources, including public and proprietary data, radar, satellite, relevant weather reporting sites in the region and other weather charts as needed to prepare site-specific reports to show with precision how the weather impacts your case.

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  • Proven Expertise

    Receive clear analyses for cases such as roof collapse, hail damage, injury losses, explosions, high winds, flooding, slip-and-fall incidents and other weather-related events.

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  • Accomplished Experience

    Add hundreds of years of combined experience to your team. Since 1962, AccuWeather's award-winning team has delivered over 10,000 forensic reports and provided expert testimony in court cases hundreds of times, helping attorneys and insurance groups build stronger cases for more favorable outcomes.

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  • Instant Credibility

    As the world’s weather authority, AccuWeather is trusted by over 1 billion people, over half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of others around the world through enterprise services, mobile app, AccuWeather.com, AccuWeather Now, radio and newspapers.

     

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  • Comprehensive Weather Data

    Access the cleanest, most detailed, complete and accurate global collection of weather data in existence, with pinpoint accuracy, updated in real-time, including satellite imagery, radar, lightning data and weather observations to best determine the conditions for any location.

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  • Compelling Visuals

    As needed, AccuWeather provides clear, compelling graphics and displays that best support your case and maximize presentation impact where applicable.

     

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  • Communication Skills

    Backed by hundreds of years of combined experience, AccuWeather experts deliver clear analysis of complex scientific subject concepts in terms that jurors understand.

     

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  • Collaboration Skills

    When requested, AccuWeather collaborates with experts such as engineers and hydrologists to provide expert weather insights to support their findings.
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  • Early Expert Opinion

    Involve AccuWeather's experts early in the legal process to help thoroughly examine reports and documents and offer more well-informed initial opinions.

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An Expert Team of AMS-Certified CCMs with Credentials

  • AccuWeather is proven to be the most accurate and most trusted weather source in the world and takes great pride in helping clients reach the best outcomes for their cases by providing the most complete, detailed analysis in a clear, easy-to-understand format. Since 1962, AccuWeather has delivered over 10,000 forensic reports and provided expert testimony in hundreds of court cases. 

  • AccuWeather's team is backed by over 100 expert meteorologists, including a PhD and a forensics team of Certified Consulting Meteorologists (CCM), the highest consulting certification awarded by the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Each AccuWeather CCM has more than 40 years of experience and collaborates closely to build agreement, ensuring determinations are more likely to withstand courtroom scrutiny. 

  • There are only 235 active CCMs in the world as of June 2025. AccuWeather has more than 1% of the CCMs in existence. AccuWeather’s AMS-Certified meteorologists have exclusive access to AccuWeather’s Data Suite — the most detailed, complete and accurate global collection of historic, current and forecast weather data. This trusted data supports hundreds of businesses worldwide for all purposes, including training AI algorithms for better outcomes and supporting real-time decision making, automation and risk mitigation and is available through leading data marketplaces like Azure, Databricks and Snowflake.

  • This summary provided by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) regarding its Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) program details the rigorous process. The AMS has established high standards of technical competence, character, and experience for those who seek to provide advice and consultation in meteorology. The principal purpose of the program is to enable users of meteorological services to select consultants with greater confidence in the quality and reliability of the products and services they will receive. CCMs must demonstrate exemplary qualities of character and devotion to high professional standards, and are highly regarded by their peers in meteorology. They are considered experts in the application of weather information to a host of practical challenges, ranging from specialized forecasts to engineering design support and expert testimony on weather-related court cases.

AccuWeather Brand Recognition

  • Brand recognition is an important component when the weather is a factor in your case. Operating since 1962, AccuWeather is a highly-regarded organization built on scientific expertise. It is likely your jury already has a positive relationship with us, using AccuWeather as their trusted source for weather information through our mobile application, accuweather.com and the AccuWeather Network.

  • AccuWeather’s brand reaches over 1 billion people worldwide every day and is trusted to help people make the best weather-related decisions. This level of trust and recognition adds validity to expert testimony and enhances the credibility of any report submitted.

  • In courtroom settings, jurors noticeably pay more attention when an AccuWeather expert testifies. The information often connects to their personal experiences and carries immediate credibility. AccuWeather's proven Superior Accuracy™, backed by science, reinforces your argument as the most reliable version of the truth.

Experts in Communicating Weather Insights

  • Unlike other weather companies' claims, AccuWeather's proven Superior Accuracy™ has been validated time and again across various parameters and certified by numerous independent studies, delivering the most trusted, most accurate results in high-stakes legal cases.

  • AccuWeather applies complex weather data to real-world scenarios by communicating across multiple business lines and public channels. This includes providing site-specific warnings, 1:1 consultations with expert meteorologists and weather briefings to 78 of the Fortune 100 and over half of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of others around the world, as well as forecasts broadcast through TV, radio and print.

  • AccuWeather's expertise in translating raw meteorological data and other data into clear, more valuable and actionable insights enhances the strength of AccuWeather’s forensics team in legal settings. The ability to present weather information clearly and credibly helps build trust with jurors and supports stronger cases in court.

Testimonials from Valued AccuWeather Clients: 

"I have been most pleased with the services of AccuWeather generally and with Steve (Wistar) specifically. A seasoned claims representative was present in court to witness Steve's direct examination and said later that he was the best trial expert he has ever seen. You can be sure that when I next need a weather expert witness, AccuWeather and Steve Wistar will be the first to get the call."

 

Attorney based in Grand Rapids, MI

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“I am pleased to report that we have settled this matter with the other parties and we will not be proceeding to trial. We appreciate all your assistance in this case and your excellent report. […]It was a pleasure working with you and we will reach out if we have any other cases you can assist with.”

 

 

Attorney based in Pittsburgh, PA

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“I just wanted to let you know that [insurance company] won the case yesterday. When I spoke to the jury afterwards, all 8 of them indicated that you were the reason that [insurance company] received a defense verdict. They liked the plaintiff very much and wanted to find for her. However, they found your expert testimony regarding the weather to be so compelling that they changed their minds and found for [insurance company]. I thought you made a fantastic witness.”

Attorney based in Philadelphia, PA.

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Talk to an Accuweather Expert Forensic Meteorologist today. 

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Forensics Overview

Why you should choose an AccuWeather Forensic Expert?

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Forensics eBook

What do legal and insurance professionals need to know about site-specific weather reports?

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More Advance Notice

The cleanest, most comprehensive set of past weather conditions dating back over 70 years. Our quality control procedures have eliminated missing and erroneous data.

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Null Notifications

AccuWeather’s forecasts have been verified as the most accurate with the greatest degree of Superior Accuracy™ in severe weather situations when it counts the most.

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Issued by AccuWeather meteorologists, not repackaged alerts from public sources.

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Receive up to twice as much advance notice compared to other sources.

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False alarms are greatly reduced, minimizing service interruptions while saving you time and money.

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Be notified when a government-issued tornado warning is in effect but the tornado does not pose a direct threat to your operations.

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If warnings are not acknowledged, a meteorologist will follow up to ensure you are aware.

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SkyGuard® warnings are global and can cover organizations with multiple assets and locations.

Save time and money with SkyGuard®

AccuWeather has helped organizations save tens of billions of dollars in property damage. To show how powerful SkyGuard warnings are, an analysis of 18 total locations was performed over a three-year period. For these locations, government tornado warnings were issued 1,106 times and AccuWeather SkyGuard warnings were issued 259 times. Overall, government warnings resulted in a 78% false alarm rate with the false alarm rate within a 3 mile radius being 98.5%. Fewer false alarms mean fewer unnecessary and costly shutdowns resulting in less downtime.

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Receive instant notifications and analyze severe weather from anywhere.

View, analyze, and manage your global severe weather components in one place—the AccuWeather For Business Portal, and receive near-instant push notifications of severe weather alerts with AccuWeather For Business’ Mobile App. All-clear notifications are delivered as soon as a threat is over, minimizing weather-related downtime.

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Partner. Prepare. Protect.

Equip your team with the information they need to confidently make the best weather-impacted decisions wherever and whenever weather is a factor.

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