Written by Laura Stuart, Meteorologist at WeatherNet
We all know how important the weather is from an insurance perspective; just cast your mind back to the beginning of 2014, when storm after storm barraged into the UK and caused millions of pounds worth of damage nationwide. Just a few years ago, we had the coldest winter on record and no-one can guarantee what the weather will do over the next few seasons. Throughout all of this, WeatherNet was and will be here to help, specialising in supplying online weather applications, weather data sets, weather reports, consultancy and advice. Since 1995, WeatherNet has provided postcode-based weather information to the UK insurance industry to help verify claims for storm, freeze and flood. Over the past 19 years, we have grown significantly and now service >90% of the industry, including adjusters, BRN’s and assessors.
Severe weather is experienced somewhere in the UK on 9 out of every 10 days, affecting at least one household – be it a storm force wind gust, a torrential rain shower, a scattering of hail or a localised thunderstorm and for this, our system is the go-to application to answer your question of: “which date did so-and-so happen?”
Your Aspray account provides you a thorough and detailed archive of weather data, accessible all day, every day. The information available is quality controlled and is updated in near real-time, combining our exclusive network of urban-based weather stations and Met Office data. Tabs along the top of the screen show every parameter you might be interested in, including wind speeds, rainfall amounts, presence of lightning, snowfall depths and temperatures. Using conveniently placed chevrons, you can scroll forward and back in time to find the date on which an event occurred. Our traffic light system offers a reliable indication as to whether the data suggests storm conditions have occurred and indeed how most insurers would deal with the claim – accept, refer or repudiate. More detail is available through use of the ‘information’ button, allowing you to view stations within the area, their proximity and even their exact location relative to the incident postcode.
The system should be used whenever there is any question about the weather and its influence on the claim. The application itself is intuitive, but includes useful features such as an online tutorial for those unfamiliar, along with FAQ’s, reference options and our contact details. For information of your individual account details, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly, either by telephone (01202 296396) or via info@weathernet.co.uk.
Important Links:
www.weathernet.co.uk/validation – link to the application
www.weathernet.co.uk/validation/demo – link to the online tutorial
