For adjusters and property owners

Snow totals for insurance claims

A snow-related claim starts with how much snow fell at the property and when. Free Snow Report calculates that for any street address in the lower 48 states or southern Canada and any storm from the last ten years, verified by the WDS unified snow model and emailed to you as PDFs. Adjusters, property owners and contractors on a claim can each request one. Each verified email gets three free reports, and after that a report is $39.

Document snowfall at an address and date

Enter the property's street address and a storm window that covers the date of loss. The report is calculated for that spot, including its elevation, from what official weather stations and trained volunteer observers measured near the property.

If you only have a ZIP code, the report is calculated for the center of the ZIP code. For a claim tied to one building, the street address gives a total for that spot.

What the report contains

Each report comes as two PDFs. The Verified Report is a short summary with the storm total. The Full Report adds the daily record at the official station, the nearby observers and a map. Together they include these details.

The street address or ZIP code and the storm window you picked.
A verified snowfall total for the full window.
The daily record at the nearest official station.
The official stations and trained observers that informed the estimate, with a map.

The report prints its sources so a reviewer can see how the total was reached. The methodology page describes the model and the checks.

How to request a report

Sign in with your email. We send a six-digit code, and there is no password.
Enter the street address of the property, or a 5-digit ZIP code.
Choose the days of one storm, up to three days, ending at least two days ago.
The Verified Report and the Full Report arrive by email once the report clears quality checks, and copies stay on your reports page.

The two-day wait lets the observer networks finish filing their measurements for the storm.

Date of loss: why the storm window matters

A claim ties damage to a date of loss, the day the damage happened or was found. For a snow claim, the weather behind that date matters as much as the date. Snow that fell on the date of loss, or in the days before it, is the weather an adjuster may compare with the damage. A winter often brings several storms, and a record that only says "last winter" does not separate one from the next.

Pick a window of up to three days that covers the storm around the date of loss. If damage turned up days after the snow, include the storm itself and not only the day you noticed it. A ceiling stain found on a Saturday after snow on Wednesday and Thursday needs the Wednesday to Thursday window. If more than one storm could be involved, request one report for each.

Roof snow load basics

The roof snow load and ice dam notes on this page summarize published guidance for general information. They are not safety, engineering or legal advice.

Roof snow load is the weight of the snow sitting on a roof, in pounds per square foot. Two things drive it: how deep the snow is and how much water the snow holds. Depth alone can mislead. FEMA's Snow Load Safety Guide puts 1 foot of fresh snow at about 3 pounds per square foot when it is light and dry, and up to 21 pounds per square foot when it is wet and heavy. The National Weather Service describes the same idea from the other direction. The water equivalent, the inches of water you get by melting the snow, sets the load at about 5.2 pounds per square foot for each inch of water.

Load also changes after the snow falls. FEMA notes that heavy rain on snow adds weight, that ice weighs a little under 5 pounds per square foot for each inch of thickness, and that drifting or sliding snow piles up unevenly, which it describes as a greater risk to a roof than an even load.

A snowfall report shows how much new snow fell. It does not measure the snow on a roof, so it supports the timeline of a claim and is not a structural measurement. Questions about what a building can carry belong with a licensed structural engineer or your local building official, as FEMA advises.

Ice dams

An ice dam is a ridge of ice at the edge of a roof that keeps melting snow from draining. Three things have to come together: snow on the roof, heat from the house that melts it from underneath, and cold at the eaves that refreezes the meltwater. Water that backs up behind the dam can get under the roof covering and into the attic, walls and ceilings, according to University of Minnesota Extension.

A snow report shows the snow side of that story, how much fell in the days before the damage appeared. It does not show how much heat reached the roof or whether a policy covers the damage. Coverage depends on your policy, so ask your insurer or agent.

What adjusters and policyholders may ask for

Each insurer decides what it requires, so ask yours. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Post-Disaster Claims Guide tells policyholders to take photos or videos of the damage, list damaged property and gather contractor bids to share with the adjuster, who inspects the property and takes photographs and measurements.

A policyholder may gather the date the damage was found, photos or video, repair estimates and a snowfall record for the address and storm window.
An adjuster may ask for the property address, the date of loss, what the weather record shows for the area and the sources behind the numbers, so the record can be checked independently.

How the two PDFs help

The Verified Report is the short one: the storm total for the window and the quality checks. It fits in a claim file or an email to an adjuster. The Full Report carries the daily record at the nearest official station, the nearby observers and the map, which is what a reviewer reads to see how the number was reached. Keep both together, since the Full Report shows the detail behind the Verified Report's total.

Limits for claim work

The report estimates snowfall, the new snow that fell during the window. It does not measure snow depth on a roof, drifting or the weight of a snow load.
Totals are estimates informed by nearby measurements, and they are less certain where stations are sparse.
Each carrier, reviewer or court decides what documentation it accepts.
A report documents snowfall. It does not establish what caused damage or whether a policy covers it.
Each report covers one storm. A location pass covers every storm at a ZIP code for a year, and reports for every site after every storm come with WDS Business.
Coverage is the lower 48 states and southern Canada, for storms from the last ten years.

For teams that need reports all winter

Property managers and facilities teams with many sites can get a certified snow report for each ZIP code on their list after measurable snow with WDS Business, along with site forecasts, radar and storm alerts. WDS Business is $249 a month after a 7-day free trial, month to month: the WDS winter forecast for the season ahead, forecasts for your sites checked against the ground near each one, storm alerts, and certified snow reports for up to 5 ZIP codes. WDS Business+ adds a meteorologist to call for $499 a month.

Compare WDS Business plans

Contractors on the claim can read how snow removal contractors use the report for invoices and slip-and-fall claims.

Claim questions

What dates should I request for a claim?

Pick a window of up to three days that covers the storm around the date of loss. The window must end at least two days ago so the observer reports are complete. If the loss followed more than one storm, request a separate report for each storm.

Does the report measure snow on a roof?

The report estimates snowfall, the new snow that fell at the address during the window. It does not measure how deep snow sat on a roof or how much it weighed. Adjusters can read the snowfall record alongside their own inspection of the property.

Will an insurance carrier accept the report?

Each carrier decides what documentation it accepts. The report prints the method and the sources so an adjuster can evaluate it. Every report is verified by the WDS unified snow model, and teams with many sites can get one after every storm with a Weather Decision Solutions business membership.

Why does the date of loss matter for a snow claim?

The date of loss ties the damage to a specific weather event. Snow that fell on that date, or in the days before it, is the weather an insurer may compare with the damage. A snowfall record for the address and the storm window shows what fell and when, and it helps you pick the right dates when a winter had several storms.

Does home insurance cover snow damage or ice dams?

It depends on your policy, and we cannot say what yours covers. Ask your insurer or agent, and read the sections on weight of snow, ice dams and water damage. A snowfall report documents the weather. It does not decide coverage.

Do I need a weather report for an insurance claim?

Your insurer and adjuster decide what they need. A snowfall record for the address and date of loss is one way to show what the weather was, and you can ask your adjuster whether they want one. Photos, videos and a written list of the damage matter too.

How much does snow weigh on a roof?

It depends on how much water the snow holds. FEMA puts 1 foot of fresh snow at about 3 pounds per square foot for light, dry snow and up to 21 pounds per square foot for wet, heavy snow. FEMA also notes that heavy rain on snow adds weight and that an inch of ice weighs a little under 5 pounds per square foot. FEMA advises taking structural questions to a licensed structural engineer or local building official.

How do ice dams form, and how does a snow report help with a claim?

Ice dams need snow on the roof, heat from the house to melt it, and cold at the eaves to refreeze the meltwater. A snow report shows how much snow fell in the days before the damage, which is one piece of the timeline. It does not show why heat reached the roof or whether the damage is covered.

Sources

Related guides

Request a snow report