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Service Assessments
NWS conducts Service Assessments to evaluate its performance during catastrophic weather events. Assessments are done when one or more of the following criteria are met:
  • Major economic impact on a large area or population
  • Multiple fatalities or numerous serious injuries
  • Unusually high level of public or media interest

Assessment teams, composed of experts in and outside NWS, study what happened and NWS actions before, during, and after the event. Finally, the team recommend changes in NWS procedures, products and services to improve performance.

Two women sifting through destruction of the home after tornado

Mother’s Day Weekend Tornado in Oklahoma and Missouri, May 10, 2008. Survivors of Picher, OK, tornado. Photo courtesy of Tulsa World News.


2000-2004

1995-1999

1989-1994

Adobe Acrobat logo Most Assessments are PDFs. Download free PDF Reader.

Service Assessments are part of the NWS Verification Program. The NWS Office of the Administrator decides whether to perform an assessment. A report is released when the Assistant Administrator for Weather Services has approved it. If an event does not warrant a service assessment, but a need exists to document the event's data, NWS staff may issue a Post-Storm Data Acquisition report. Single hard copies of older Service Assessments reports may be available, email:


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Last Updated: November 6, 2009