Insurance loss return periods with extreme event intensity thresholds across the US: 1980–2010

To improve the “effectiveness” of NOAA storm event information for risk managers, planners, policy makers and public safety, NOAA's NCDC is integrating U.S. hazards/exposure data with respective insurance loss return periods. This is performed by calculating county-level extreme event intensity thresholds using these data types: hurricanes (NHC), winter storms (NESIS/RESIS), tornadoes (SPC; SWDI), hail (SPC; SWDI), high winds (SPC), drought (USDM/NIDIS), and U.S. insurance loss datasets (Munich Re, USDA-RMA, PCS, FEMA). This research also utilizes NWS warning data, socioeconomic data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and U.S. Census data (e.g., gridded population/density, mean housing value, per capita income, production wealth) to normalize for increases in population, inflation, and wealth. This work seeks to establish county-level U.S. extreme event economic risk climatologies for the period 1980-2010.