🔔 NOAA Storm Damage & Impact Feed

A deterministic impact subset of the U.S. NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database details file — only storm events with a published impact are emitted. Read directly from the official public bulk directory (www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/), streamed by incremental gunzip, carried source-native and verbatim.

Output is one storm_impact_record row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one storm impact record (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.02 per storm impact record). Source: www.ncei.noaa.gov.

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out with an identified contact User-Agent.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run O7z30wHBZdJD7Ayk4 on build 0.1.6 (2026-09-19), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

begin_yearmonth	begin_day	begin_time	event_type	begin_date_time	end_date_time
202601	10	1122	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:22:00	10-JAN-26 11:24:00
202601	10	1132	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:32:00	10-JAN-26 11:34:00
202601	10	758	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 07:58:00	10-JAN-26 08:00:00
202601	10	1120	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:20:00	10-JAN-26 11:22:00
202601	10	1122	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:22:00	10-JAN-26 11:24:00
202601	10	1115	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:15:00	10-JAN-26 11:17:00
202601	10	1110	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 11:10:00	10-JAN-26 11:12:00
202601	10	1200	Thunderstorm Wind	10-JAN-26 12:00:00	10-JAN-26 12:02:00

The run finished with the status message: NORMAL: 50 unique rows (0 duplicates collapsed) from d2026_c20260918. billable=50

✅ What you get

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_type (string/null) — e.g. storm_impact_record
• begin_yearmonth (string/null) — e.g. 202601
• begin_day (string/null) — e.g. 10
• begin_time (string/null) — e.g. 1122
• end_yearmonth (string/null) — e.g. 202601
• end_day (string/null) — e.g. 10
• end_time (string/null) — e.g. 1124
• episode_id (string/null) — e.g. 210047
• event_id (string/null) — e.g. 1310096
• state (string/null) — e.g. GEORGIA
• state_fips (string/null) — e.g. 13
• year (string/null) — e.g. 2026
• month_name (string/null) — e.g. January
• event_type (string/null) — e.g. Thunderstorm Wind
• cz_type (string/null) — e.g. C
• cz_fips (string/null) — e.g. 285
• cz_name (string/null) — e.g. TROUP
• wfo (string/null) — e.g. FFC
• begin_date_time (string/null) — e.g. 10-JAN-26 11:22:00
• cz_timezone (string/null) — e.g. EST-5
• end_date_time (string/null) — e.g. 10-JAN-26 11:24:00
• injuries_direct (string/null) — e.g. 0
• injuries_indirect (string/null) — e.g. 0
• deaths_direct (string/null) — e.g. 0
• deaths_indirect (string/null) — e.g. 0
• damage_property (string/null) — e.g. 1.00K
• damage_crops (string/null) — null in every sample row
• source (string/null) — e.g. noaa-storm-damage-impact
• magnitude (string/null) — e.g. 52.00
• magnitude_type (string/null) — e.g. EG
• flood_cause (string/null) — null in every sample row
• category (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_f_scale (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_length (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_width (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_wfo (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_state (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_fips (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_name (string/null) — null in every sample row
• begin_range (string/null) — e.g. .75
• begin_azimuth (string/null) — e.g. NE
• begin_location (string/null) — e.g. LEES CROSSING
• end_range (string/null) — e.g. .75
• end_azimuth (string/null) — e.g. NE
• end_location (string/null) — e.g. LEES CROSSING
• begin_lat (string/null) — e.g. 33.0588
• begin_lon (string/null) — e.g. -85.0425
• end_lat (string/null) — e.g. 33.0588
• end_lon (string/null) — e.g. -85.0425
• episode_narrative (string/null) — e.g. A QLCS moved into western Georgia during the mid morning hours of the 10th. The
• event_narrative (string/null) — e.g. Tree down on the 800 block of wisteria way.
• data_source (string/null) — e.g. CSV
• provenance (string/null) — e.g. NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database (details file); values carried source-native and
• impact_subset_rule (string/null) — e.g. row has >=1 published impact: DAMAGE_PROPERTY>0 OR DAMAGE_CROPS>0 OR any of INJU
• damage_note (string/null) — e.g. NOAA reported damage estimate — NOT an insured-loss figure; raw damage strings (
• casualty_note (string/null) — e.g. event-level AGGREGATE casualty counts only; the person-level fatality table is n
• release_file (string/null) — e.g. StormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2026_c20260918.csv.gz
• release_year (string/null) — e.g. 2026
• release_version (string/null) — e.g. 20260918
• partial_year_file (boolean/null) — e.g. True
• partial_year_note (string/null) — e.g. the 2026 annual file is an IN-PROGRESS (incomplete) year — NOAA is still collect
• source_url (string/null) — e.g. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/StormEvents_details
• record_key (string/null) — e.g. 1310096
• release_date (string/null) — e.g. d2026_c20260918
• observed_at (string/null) — e.g. 2026-09-19T04:47:55Z
• release_checksum (string/null) — e.g. 20260918
• license (string/null) — e.g. U.S. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Da
• attribution (string/null) — e.g. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — Storm Events Databa
• terminal (string/null) — null in every sample row
• scope (string/null) — null in every sample row
• note (string/null) — null in every sample row
• reported_total (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• raw_seen (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• duplicates (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• unique_found (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• delivered (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row

✅ What you get

• record_type (string/null) — e.g. storm_impact_record
• begin_yearmonth (string/null) — e.g. 202601
• begin_day (string/null) — e.g. 10
• begin_time (string/null) — e.g. 1122
• end_yearmonth (string/null) — e.g. 202601
• end_day (string/null) — e.g. 10
• end_time (string/null) — e.g. 1124
• episode_id (string/null) — e.g. 210047
• event_id (string/null) — e.g. 1310096
• state (string/null) — e.g. GEORGIA
• state_fips (string/null) — e.g. 13
• year (string/null) — e.g. 2026
• month_name (string/null) — e.g. January
• event_type (string/null) — e.g. Thunderstorm Wind
• cz_type (string/null) — e.g. C
• cz_fips (string/null) — e.g. 285
• cz_name (string/null) — e.g. TROUP
• wfo (string/null) — e.g. FFC
• begin_date_time (string/null) — e.g. 10-JAN-26 11:22:00
• cz_timezone (string/null) — e.g. EST-5
• end_date_time (string/null) — e.g. 10-JAN-26 11:24:00
• injuries_direct (string/null) — e.g. 0
• injuries_indirect (string/null) — e.g. 0
• deaths_direct (string/null) — e.g. 0
• deaths_indirect (string/null) — e.g. 0
• damage_property (string/null) — e.g. 1.00K
• damage_crops (string/null) — null in every sample row
• source (string/null) — e.g. noaa-storm-damage-impact
• magnitude (string/null) — e.g. 52.00
• magnitude_type (string/null) — e.g. EG
• flood_cause (string/null) — null in every sample row
• category (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_f_scale (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_length (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_width (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_wfo (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_state (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_fips (string/null) — null in every sample row
• tor_other_cz_name (string/null) — null in every sample row
• begin_range (string/null) — e.g. .75
• begin_azimuth (string/null) — e.g. NE
• begin_location (string/null) — e.g. LEES CROSSING
• end_range (string/null) — e.g. .75
• end_azimuth (string/null) — e.g. NE
• end_location (string/null) — e.g. LEES CROSSING
• begin_lat (string/null) — e.g. 33.0588
• begin_lon (string/null) — e.g. -85.0425
• end_lat (string/null) — e.g. 33.0588
• end_lon (string/null) — e.g. -85.0425
• episode_narrative (string/null) — e.g. A QLCS moved into western Georgia during the mid morning hours of the 10th. The
• event_narrative (string/null) — e.g. Tree down on the 800 block of wisteria way.
• data_source (string/null) — e.g. CSV
• provenance (string/null) — e.g. NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database (details file); values carried source-native and
• impact_subset_rule (string/null) — e.g. row has >=1 published impact: DAMAGE_PROPERTY>0 OR DAMAGE_CROPS>0 OR any of INJU
• damage_note (string/null) — e.g. NOAA reported damage estimate — NOT an insured-loss figure; raw damage strings (
• casualty_note (string/null) — e.g. event-level AGGREGATE casualty counts only; the person-level fatality table is n
• release_file (string/null) — e.g. StormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2026_c20260918.csv.gz
• release_year (string/null) — e.g. 2026
• release_version (string/null) — e.g. 20260918
• partial_year_file (boolean/null) — e.g. True
• partial_year_note (string/null) — e.g. the 2026 annual file is an IN-PROGRESS (incomplete) year — NOAA is still collect
• source_url (string/null) — e.g. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/StormEvents_details
• record_key (string/null) — e.g. 1310096
• release_date (string/null) — e.g. d2026_c20260918
• observed_at (string/null) — e.g. 2026-09-19T04:21:20Z
• release_checksum (string/null) — e.g. 20260918
• license (string/null) — e.g. U.S. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Da
• attribution (string/null) — e.g. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — Storm Events Databa
• terminal (string/null) — null in every sample row
• scope (string/null) — null in every sample row
• note (string/null) — null in every sample row
• reported_total (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• raw_seen (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• duplicates (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• unique_found (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• delivered (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row

What you get

One storm_impact_record per qualifying details row — all NOAA columns verbatim (event_id, state, event_type, damage_property, damage_crops, deaths_*, injuries_*, magnitude, dates, narratives, etc.) plus impact_subset_rule, damage_note, casualty_note, provenance, release_file, source_url.

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "states": [
    "GEORGIA"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 50 × $0.02 storm_impact_record = $1.02 on the Free tier — every delivered row was billed.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "states": [
    "GEORGIA"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 5
}

Caps the run at 5 rows — about $0.12 on the Free tier ($0.02 start + 5 × $0.02).

3. A full-size run

{
  "states": [
    "GEORGIA"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 2500
}

Up to 2500 rows (the schema default for maxRecords) — about $50.02 on the Free tier ($0.02 start + 2500 × $0.02) if the source has that many.

4. A filtered run

{
  "states": [
    "GEORGIA"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50,
  "fieldMatch": {
    "cz_name": "TROUP"
  }
}

Keeps only rows whose cz_name contains TROUP (a value from the sample run above), matched case-insensitively after the source is read and before the maxRecords cap, so the cap counts matches and only delivered matches are billed. searchText does the same across every column. Zero matches end the run as EMPTY_SELECTION with no row charged — if the source has moved on since that sample run, pick a value you see in your own first run. The source is still read in full — this narrows what you receive and pay for, not what the source serves.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run O7z30wHBZdJD7Ayk4, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_type": "storm_impact_record",
  "begin_yearmonth": "202601",
  "begin_day": "10",
  "begin_time": "1122",
  "end_yearmonth": "202601",
  "end_day": "10",
  "end_time": "1124",
  "episode_id": "210047",
  "event_id": "1310096",
  "state": "GEORGIA",
  "state_fips": "13",
  "year": "2026",
  "month_name": "January",
  "event_type": "Thunderstorm Wind",
  "cz_type": "C",
  "cz_fips": "285",
  "cz_name": "TROUP",
  "wfo": "FFC",
  "begin_date_time": "10-JAN-26 11:22:00",
  "cz_timezone": "EST-5",
  "end_date_time": "10-JAN-26 11:24:00",
  "injuries_direct": "0",
  "injuries_indirect": "0",
  "deaths_direct": "0",
  "deaths_indirect": "0",
  "damage_property": "1.00K",
  "damage_crops": null,
  "source": "noaa-storm-damage-impact",
  "magnitude": "52.00",
  "magnitude_type": "EG",
  "flood_cause": null,
  "category": null,
  "tor_f_scale": null,
  "tor_length": null,
  "tor_width": null,
  "tor_other_wfo": null,
  "tor_other_cz_state": null,
  "tor_other_cz_fips": null,
  "tor_other_cz_name": null,
  "begin_range": ".75",
  "begin_azimuth": "NE",
  "begin_location": "LEES CROSSING",
  "end_range": ".75",
  "end_azimuth": "NE",
  "end_location": "LEES CROSSING",
  "begin_lat": "33.0588",
  "begin_lon": "-85.0425",
  "end_lat": "33.0588",
  "end_lon": "-85.0425",
  "episode_narrative": "A QLCS moved into western Georgia during the mid morning hours of the 10th. The strongest storms were located south of I20 with several bowing and comma-head sections which lead to pockets of strong wind damage and a brief tornado in Carrol",
  "event_narrative": "Tree down on the 800 block of wisteria way.",
  "data_source": "CSV",
  "provenance": "NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database (details file); values carried source-native and unmodified",
  "impact_subset_rule": "row has >=1 published impact: DAMAGE_PROPERTY>0 OR DAMAGE_CROPS>0 OR any of INJURIES_DIRECT / INJURIES_INDIRECT / DEATHS_DIRECT / DEATHS_INDIRECT > 0",
  "damage_note": "NOAA reported damage estimate — NOT an insured-loss figure; raw damage strings (K/M/B) carried verbatim, never normalized",
  "casualty_note": "event-level AGGREGATE casualty counts only; the person-level fatality table is never read",
  "release_file": "StormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2026_c20260918.csv.gz",
  "release_year": "2026",
  "release_version": "20260918",
  "partial_year_file": true,
  "partial_year_note": "the 2026 annual file is an IN-PROGRESS (incomplete) year — NOAA is still collecting/revising 2026 data; pin a complete year with the `year` input for a finalized dataset",
  "source_url": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/StormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2026_c20260918.csv.gz",
  "record_key": "1310096",
  "release_date": "d2026_c20260918",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-19T04:47:55Z",
  "release_checksum": "20260918",
  "license": "U.S. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database — U.S. Government work, public domain. Acknowledgement: data from NOAA/NCEI. No implied NOAA endorsement. Raw values (including damage strings) are carri",
  "attribution": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — Storm Events Database (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/)"
}

🔧 How it works

Source. The actor reads www.ncei.noaa.gov — endpoints: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/. Public pages and feeds only; nothing behind a login.

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy. robots.txt is read first and a disallowed path is never fetched. Every request carries an identified contact User-Agent. Pacing: CRAWL_DELAY=0.0.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each storm impact record is charged at the moment it is pushed (storm_impact_record); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count.

🔧 How it works

The impact-subset rule (stated & reproducible)

A row is included iff it has at least one published impact:

DAMAGE_PROPERTY > 0 OR DAMAGE_CROPS > 0 OR any of INJURIES_DIRECT / INJURIES_INDIRECT / DEATHS_DIRECT / DEATHS_INDIRECT > 0

The rule is deterministic and fully reproducible: on the 2025 details file it selects ≈15,274 of 72,360 rows. (Damage values are parsed only to test > 0; the raw string is always carried verbatim.) Every record carries the rule in an impact_subset_rule field.

Raw damage strings verbatim — no insured-loss implication

Damage is carried exactly as NOAA publishes it — 1.00K, 25.00M, 1.50B — never normalized silently into a number. A damage_note states these are NOAA reported damage estimates, NOT insured-loss figures.

Aggregate casualty counts only — fatality table never read

Casualty figures (deaths_*, injuries_*) are NOAA's event-level aggregate counts. This actor reads only the details file; it never fetches or parses the StormEvents_fatalities-* (person-level) table — the resolver refuses it and no code path constructs a fatalities URL. A casualty_note restates this.

Latest annual file — and pinning a year

The actor discovers the latest versioned annual details file; NOAA rolls to a new (in-progress) year at the year boundary. Pin a specific year with year (e.g. "2025").

Filters, robots & door

Supply at least one of states, eventTypes, czNames, or episodeIds — the subset is never emitted in full. www.ncei.noaa.gov/robots.txt disallows /data* and /orders*; this actor fetches only under /pub/data/ (permitted) and re-reads robots every run, STOPping on any real Disallow. NOAA/NCEI acknowledgement; no implied endorsement.

Source & licence

U.S. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database — U.S. Government work, public domain. Acknowledgement: data from NOAA/NCEI.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Storm impact record (storm_impact_record)	$0.02	$0.018	$0.016	$0.0134

Worked at the live Free-tier price:

• 8 storm impact records: $0.02 start + 8 × $0.02 = $0.18
• 25 storm impact records: $0.02 start + 25 × $0.02 = $0.52
• 2500 storm impact records: $0.02 start + 2500 × $0.02 = $50.02

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee only. A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 4096 MB.

Yield on the sample run: NORMAL: 50 unique rows (0 duplicates collapsed) from d2026_c20260918. billable=50. maxRecords is a hard ceiling on what is delivered and billed, never a target.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public, logged-out pages and feeds published by www.ncei.noaa.gov. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, keeps to the source's robots rules (checked on every run), identifies itself with a contact User-Agent, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. The source (www.ncei.noaa.gov) is read logged-out; the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input; BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee only.

Q: How many rows can one run return?
A: Up to maxRecords (default 2500). Raise the cap for a bigger run; you pay per delivered row.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other NexGen Watch actors actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers www.ncei.noaa.gov. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

Q: Are there rate limits?
A: The actor paces itself against the source (CRAWL_DELAY=0.0) and honours its robots rules; there is no per-buyer limit beyond your Apify plan's concurrency.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Status says CAPPED → your cap (maxRecords) was reached → raise it for a bigger run.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.

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⭐ Found this useful?

If this actor saved you a manual check, a quick review on the Apify Store helps other teams find it. Feature request or a source that changed? Open it from the Issues tab — every one is read.