Right now we're traveling back from this week's successful Eastern Regional Conference. So this week, as we head into summer, we're sharing an episode on how to take advantage of all the services that the PLRB Weather/CATs department has to offer.

A supervisor leads a team of very needy CAT adjusters! Over the course of the year, the supervisor fields many questions as it comes up in their claims. Was there hail on X date? Was there lightning in the area? This hurricane is coming soon, where can I get news about it? Winter weather caused a slip and fall!! Where can I find information on wildfire perimeters and California evacuations? For help herding all these cats, we'll head to PLRB.org. Notable Timestamps

[ 00:00 ] - The episode introduces a scenario where a supervisor fields constant weather-related questions from cat adjusters, highlighting the need for a centralized, reliable source for hail, lightning, hurricanes, wildfires, and more.

[ 02:15 ] - The team previews multiple scenarios—winter storms, hail, lightning, power outages, tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires—showing the breadth of searchable weather data available to support claim investigations.

[ 03:16 ] - Using a winter slip-and-fall in Iowa City, Iowa, the report pulls verified storm data from the National Weather Service, including freezing rain reports and hourly observations to validate conditions on the date of loss.

[ 07:42 ] - For hail damage in Illinois, radar-derived data and verified hail reports allow adjusters to map proximity, estimated hail size, and associated severe thunderstorm warnings tied to a specific date and address.

[ 09:53 ] - Lightning reports provide daily probability percentages and satellite detection data, helping assess commercial equipment claims while noting limits in resolution and cloud-to-cloud versus cloud-to-ground distinctions.

[ 12:25 ] - Power outage searches archive data every ten minutes via PowerOutage.us, identifying outage timing, affected customers, and likely storm causes—critical for business interruption investigations.

[ 14:09 ] - A tornado case study of the Mayfield event demonstrates wind reports, damage points, and EF-scale path polygons, enabling precise analysis of storm track and intensity relative to a property.

[ 17:31 ] - Wildfire tools include historical perimeters like the Garnett Fire, evacuation zones, thermal hotspots, smoke analysis from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, and hurricane spaghetti models—underscoring a single portal for comprehensive weather intelligence.

[ 17:49 ] - Dylan summarized upcoming PLRB Weather/CATs developments.

Your PLRB Resources

Weather/CATS Hub - https://members.plrb.org/weather-cat/

Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/ask-plrb/) at no additional charge to you or your company.

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The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate.

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