First use of dual-polarization to more precisely map hail for U.S. insurance industry: Verisk Climate

Verisk Climate recently reported the company will use hail data – derived from two significant U.S. radar infrastructure improvements – during the 2015 severe weather season to help more precisely map where hail falls and how severe it is.

The improvements are dual-polarization radar data and two-minute radar data frequency, reports Verisk Climate, a Verisk Analytics business that provides software, data and analytics for enterprise climate risk management.

“The resulting data is used by the insurance industry to respond proactively to catastrophes, verify insurance claim accuracy, and predict demand surges in building materials and labour,” notes a company statement issued last week.

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The company’s hail data is used in property, auto and crop insurance and related markets.

Verisk Climate reports the National Weather Service implemented the radar infrastructure improvements to enhance the timeliness and precision of data from its national radar network. The company contends that dual-polarization radar – which is more advanced in defining precisely where the line between hail versus rain or debris occurred – fundamentally changes the accuracy with which hail is identified.

“This is significant because heavy rain or debris can appear the same as hail when using single-polarization radar and, thereby, overestimate the size and extent of hail,” the statement notes.

Verisk Climate reports that more frequent radar scans improve observation data for fast-moving severe storms by scanning near the ground every two minutes rather than every five minutes.

“Although other vendors may not believe dual-polarization is useful for hail measurements, our scientists have confirmed that dual-pol materially improves accuracy in delineating and categorizing hail size,” argues Patrick Pollard, vice president of Insurance Solutions at Verisk Climate.