If a tornado has recently struck your area but is not appearing on the PSAI Weather map, this is not due to an error in the tool. Instead, the delay is due to the National Weather Service's mandatory damage survey process. Learn more below.
If you would like to start a storm campaign on a tornado right away, please contact us. We can manually launch your campaign ASAP based on preliminary data from our atmospheric data science team.
Why Is There a Delay in Tornado Reporting?
After a tornado, the National Weather Service (NWS) sends meteorologists to complete a thorough, in-person damage survey. The NWS survey must be completed before the tornado data is officially reported and entered into national weather databases.
For that reason, there may be a delay between a tornado occurring and the tornado appearing as a storm swath on the Weather map. This same delay would occur on any mapping tool that utilizes NWS data.
Until the NWS has reported their findings, you'll likely see no storm on the map or a swath with lower wind speeds than you'd expect (like the 50 mph swath below).
How Long Until the Tornado Appears on the Map?
In most cases, accurate storm data is reported for significant tornadoes 24 to 48 hours after the tornado, at which point the PSAI Weather map will display the swath. The timeframe may vary, however, as it is wholly reliant on how quickly the NWS completes their damage survey.
Again, to start a storm campaign based on preliminary tornado data—getting your message in front of homeowners as quickly as possible—please contact us by filling out a support ticket or opening the help widget in the bottom right corner of the screen.