When a tree fails during severe weather, the weather record is an important part of the investigation. It is not the whole investigation.
A disciplined review keeps three questions separate: what conditions were recorded, what occurred at the site, and what the combined evidence supports. Treating those as interchangeable can turn useful data into an overstated conclusion.
What an observation actually represents
A weather observation is a measurement made by a particular instrument, at a particular location, over a defined interval. NOAA’s Local Climatological Data includes hourly and daily station observations and commonly reported variables such as wind, precipitation, pressure, and weather type. NOAA also cautions that stations do not all report the same variables and may contain gaps or limited periods of record.
The reported value therefore needs context. Distance from the site matters, but it is not the only consideration. Elevation, surrounding terrain, exposure, instrument type, reporting interval, maintenance history, and the path of the storm may all affect how a station record relates to a property.
Average wind and gusts are different observations
Wind values also need to be read according to the observing system that produced them. The National Weather Service explains that ASOS reports a two-minute average wind speed, while gust information is maintained and reported separately. A gust should not be silently substituted for an average, or vice versa, simply because one number appears more useful to the analysis.
The same care applies when comparing station observations with radar products, public storm reports, modeled data, photographs, or an official damage survey. Each source answers a somewhat different question and carries its own limitations.
Return to the tree and the site
Once the event window and available weather context are organized, the analysis returns to the physical and documentary evidence: the tree’s condition, the failure mode, site exposure, surrounding damage, prior observations, maintenance history, photographs, witness accounts, and any other relevant records.
Severe weather can be part of the factual setting without resolving the ultimate question of causation. Conversely, evidence of tree condition does not by itself establish how a particular weather event loaded the tree. The professional opinion must account for both—and for the limits of what can be reconstructed after the event.
The practical rule: use weather information to define and test the context. Do not ask it to deliver a conclusion that belongs to the complete professional analysis.
Primary references: NOAA NCEI Local Climatological Data and the National Weather Service ASOS wind-sensor description.