36.8M Single Family Homes in Risk Area Today
What This SPC Outlook Map Shows
The HailGeeks SPC Outlook Map helps you review where NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has outlined severe-weather potential across the United States.
Use the map to view all severe-weather areas, or focus on specific hazard layers such as tornado, hail, and wind risk.
Unlike a simple static outlook image, the HailGeeks map lets you click risk areas for more context. Depending on the selected area, you may see the risk category, notes, cities, states, estimated single-family homes inside the outlook area, and the official Storm Prediction Center outlook text.
This makes the NOAA severe weather outlook easier to understand locally. Instead of only seeing a broad colored area on a national map, you can see which places are included in the outlook area and what kind of severe-weather risk the SPC is highlighting.
An SPC outlook is a forecast of severe-weather potential. It does not mean every city, home, or property inside the outlook area will experience severe weather.
How to Use the HailGeeks SPC Outlook Map
The map is designed to help you move quickly from a national severe-weather outlook to local context.
Choose a day — Day 1 or Day 2
Day 1 is the current outlook period — the one most people check before or during a severe-weather day. Day 2 is the next forecast period, useful for planning ahead. Outlooks can change as the forecast becomes clearer, so always check the latest version.
Pick a hazard layer
Switch between the overall SPC outlook and individual hazard layers.
Overall severe-thunderstorm risk.
Tornado risk areas.
Large-hail risk areas.
Damaging-wind risk areas.
Click a risk area for local context
Click any risk zone to see more detail. HailGeeks may show the risk category, notes, states, cities, estimated single-family homes inside the outlook area, and the official SPC outlook text where available.
What SPC Outlook Risk Categories Mean
The Storm Prediction Center outlook uses risk categories to describe the potential for severe thunderstorms — how organized, widespread, or intense storms may become.
| SPC Category | Plain-English Meaning |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorms / TSTM | General, non-severe thunderstorms are possible |
| Marginal | Isolated severe storms are possible; coverage or intensity is usually limited |
| Slight | Scattered organized severe storms are possible |
| Enhanced | More numerous severe storms are possible compared with Slight Risk |
| Moderate | Widespread severe weather is likely, and some storms may be intense |
| High | A severe-weather outbreak is expected, with high confidence in widespread and potentially extreme severe weather |
A higher category usually means greater concern, but a lower category does not mean no risk. Severe hail, damaging wind, or tornadoes can still happen in Marginal or Slight risk areas.
The category is a guide, not a guarantee. Always combine the SPC outlook with local National Weather Service watches, warnings, and emergency instructions when severe weather is active.
Hail, Wind, and Tornado Outlook Layers
The HailGeeks SPC outlook map lets you focus on the severe-weather hazard you care about most.
Hail — shows areas where large hail may be possible. After storms move through, HailGeeks hail maps and address reports can help review whether hail activity may have affected a specific area or property.
Wind — highlights damaging-wind potential. Severe thunderstorm wind can affect roofs, siding, trees, fences, power lines, and other exterior features.
Tornado — highlights areas where tornado risk is part of the Storm Prediction Center outlook. Tornado outlook areas should be taken seriously, especially when local watches or warnings are issued.
All Hazards — shows the SPC categorical outlook for overall severe-thunderstorm risk, including tornado, wind, and hail potential where applicable.
Cities, States, and Homes Inside Each Risk Area
When you click a risk area on the HailGeeks SPC Outlook Map, you may see more than the outline on the map. HailGeeks can summarize the selected risk zone with information such as:
This helps turn a broad NOAA severe weather outlook into local property-awareness context. A national outlook may cover several states and many communities. HailGeeks makes that easier to scan by showing which cities and states are included in the risk zone and how many single-family homes may be located within the selected outlook area.
These counts and location lists do not mean every city, home, or property will experience severe weather. They only describe what is inside the outlook area.
What the Single-Family Home Count Means
The single-family-home count helps show the scale of the outlook area from a property perspective.
It’s scale, not a damage estimate
For example, if the map shows millions of single-family homes inside a risk area, that does not mean those homes will be hit by severe weather. It means those homes are located inside the selected SPC outlook zone.
This can be useful for understanding how broad a severe-weather setup may be, especially for property owners, contractors, adjusters, real estate professionals, and insurance teams.
The home count is property-awareness context. It is not a damage estimate, claim estimate, or prediction that a specific home will be affected.
SPC Outlook Map vs Alerts Button
An SPC outlook is not the same as an active NWS alert, watch, warning, or weather statement.
SPC Outlook Map
Shows where severe weather may be possible before storms develop — a broad forecast risk area, not an active warning for one exact location.
Alerts Button
Shows the total count of active tornado-, wind-, and hail-related NWS alerts, then opens the NWS alerts map to review active watches, warnings, and weather statements.
| Product | What It Means |
|---|---|
| SPC Outlook | Severe weather may be possible over a broad area |
| Watch | Conditions are favorable for severe weather |
| Warning | Severe weather is occurring or expected soon; take action |
| Weather Statement | Additional official NWS information about a developing or ongoing weather concern |
A Storm Prediction Center outlook helps users understand severe-weather potential before storms happen. It is a forecast risk area, not an active warning for one exact location.
The HailGeeks Alerts button helps users quickly see how many relevant NWS alerts are currently active. These alerts update as watches, warnings, and weather statements are issued or expire, and the alerts page focuses on tornado-, wind-, and hail-related products.
Users can open the NWS alerts map from HailGeeks to see all active alert areas on the map, along with official details from the National Weather Service alert system and additional enriched context where available.
The alert count is a quick awareness signal. It is not a severity score, damage estimate, or replacement for official safety guidance.
During active severe weather, always follow official National Weather Service warnings, local emergency alerts, and public safety instructions.
Before and After Storms
Before Storms
Use the SPC outlook to see whether severe weather may be possible in your area. Check the Day 1 or Day 2 outlook, review the hazard layer that matters most, and pay attention to local weather updates.
During Storms
Follow official watches, warnings, local alerts, and emergency instructions. The outlook is useful for awareness, but warnings and local alerts are what matter most when storms are active.
After Storms
After storms move through, use HailGeeks hail maps and Hail Reports by Address to review hail activity for a specific area or property.
The SPC outlook shows where severe weather may be possible. HailGeeks hail maps and address reports help review what may have happened after storms pass.
Contractors, inspectors, real estate professionals, adjusters, and insurance teams can use SPC outlooks for storm awareness, then use HailGeeks hail maps, address history, storm reports, and advanced tools after storms move through.
What a NOAA Severe Weather Outlook Can and Cannot Tell You
A NOAA severe weather outlook from the Storm Prediction Center is useful, but it has limits.
An SPC outlook can help show
- Where severe thunderstorms may be possible
- General severe-weather risk level
- Hail, wind, or tornado potential when hazard layers are shown
- Forecast timing
- Cities and states inside outlook areas
- The scale of risk areas using single-family-home context
An SPC outlook cannot confirm
- Whether severe weather will hit one exact address
- Whether hail reached a specific roof
- Whether a property was damaged
- Exact hail size at a specific property
- Whether repairs are needed
- Whether an insurance claim is valid
An SPC outlook is a forecast, not a damage report. It helps users understand severe-weather potential before storms happen. After storms move through, HailGeeks hail maps and address reports can help review property-level hail history.