Report Severe Weather

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There are several ways to report weather to NWS Pittsburgh. Below are our contact methods and the types of information we need. Please include the location of the weather event, such as "5 miles northwest of Pittsburgh." You may indicate if you're a trained spotter, ham radio operator, law enforcement, or other affiliation.

⚠️ Our Phone Recording Line is the best way to make urgent reports such as tornadoes on the ground. ⚠️

⚡ Report power outages to your utility provider. We appreciate wind damage reports. ⚡

📷 Photos help! Send damage pics, snowfall/hail measurements to our social media or email. Include location. 📷

📞

Phone Recording Line

Call 412-262-1988

📝

Submit Report Online

Web-based reporting form

🧊

River Ice Reports

Special form for ice conditions

Facebook

@NWSPittsburgh

X (Twitter)

@NWSPittsburgh

📧

Skywarn™ Spotter Email

PBZ-Skywarn@noaa.gov

CoCoRaHS

Precipitation measurements

mPING App

Mobile weather reporting

What We Need to Know

T.E.L. Us!

Time

When did the event start and stop?

Event

What's occurring? Wind strength? Snow depth? Hail size?

Location

Street address, intersection, distance from town, or coordinates

🌪️ Severe Weather

Hail size measured with ruler or compared to common objects. Please avoid "marble" sized (marbles vary)
Wind speed if known, or any wind damage
Funnel clouds (aloft) and tornadoes (ground contact). Any damage?

❄️ Winter Weather

Snow depth to nearest inch, averaged from multiple measurements
Ice thickness on outdoor objects like tree branches
Road conditions and travel impacts

🌊 Flooding

Road status: closed, open but flooded?
Water depth approximation (don't enter floodwaters)
Water movement: flowing or standing?
Property impacts: homes/businesses affected?
Water trend: rising or receding?
Flood source: stream overflow or poor drainage?

For detailed reporting guidance, select a weather hazard below. Thank you for your reports!

Tornado

Snow

Flooding

Hail

Freezing Rain

Heavy Rain

Wind Damage

Strong Winds

Dense Fog

Tornado

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale is used to categorize tornadoes

Funnel Cloud: A condensation funnel extending from the base of a towering cumulus or cumulonimbus, associated with a rotating column of air that is not in contact with the ground (and hence different from a tornado). A condensation funnel is a tornado, not a funnel cloud, if either a) it is in contact with the ground or b) a debris cloud or dust whirl is visible beneath it.

What to Report:

Tornadoes or funnel clouds (be very wary of look-alikes; watch for rotation)
Wall clouds, especially if they are rotating
Damage from a tornado

Snow Info

How much snow fell (to nearest tenth of an inch if possible), e.g. 3.5".
What period of time did the snow fall? (e.g. 1 hour 15 minutes.)
Was the snowfall measurement estimated or measured?

Flooding

What kind of flooding was observed?

Minor street flooding
Low water crossings flooded
Widespread flooding
Home/Business flooded
Creek/Stream out of banks
River out of banks

Hail

What size hail did you see?

Click here for a printable hail size chart.

Pea Size: 0.25 inches
Small Marble: 0.50 inches
Penny: 0.75 inches
Nickel: 0.88 inches

Any hail size at or above a Quarter (1.00 inches) is severe thunderstorm criteria:

Quarter: 1.00 inches
Half Dollar: 1.25 inches
Ping Pong Ball: 1.50 inches
Golf Ball: 1.75 inches
Hen Egg: 2.00 inches
Tennis Ball: 2.50 inches
Baseball: 2.75 inches
Grapefruit: 4.00 inches
Softball: 4.50 inches

Freezing Rain/Icing

How much icing was observed (to nearest tenth of an inch if possible), e.g. 0.5".
What period of time did the ice accumulate? (e.g. 2 hours 30 minutes.)
Was the icing measurement estimated or measured?

Heavy Rain

How much rain fell, e.g. 1.50".
What period of time did the rain fall? (e.g. 1 hour 15 minutes.)
Was the rainfall measurement estimated or measured with equipment?

Wind Damage

What kind of damage did the wind cause?

Small limbs down (less than 2" in diameter)
Large limbs/branches down (more than 2" in diameter)
Trees snapped or uprooted
Power lines down
Structural damage and/or Roof damage

Strong Winds

We are generally interested in wind speeds of 40-50 mph or higher. Here is some info on how to estimate wind speeds:

39-54 mph: Twigs break off trees; wind generally impedes progress.
55-72 mph: Damage to chimneys and TV antennas; pushes over shallow rooted trees.
73-112 mph: Peels surfaces off roofs; windows broken; light mobile homes pushed or overturned; moving cars pushed off road.