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Precipitation Events and Weather Data Integration

Logging precipitation events, qualifying event detection, and how SwiftComply integrates with NOAA, Aeris, and Weather Underground.

Overview

SwiftComply Stormwater tracks precipitation events and integrates with weather services (NOAA, Weather Underground, and Aeris Weather) to pull weather data.

Logging a precipitation event

  1. Open the site.

  2. Navigate to the Precipitation Events section. Precipitation events are turned on per Site Profile, so some sites don't have this section.

  3. Click to add a new event.

  4. Fill in:

  • Start Date/Time: When the precipitation began.

  • End Date/Time: When the precipitation ended.

  • Entry Type: How the rainfall is entered:

  • Total: A single total for the entire event, entered in Total Precipitation.

  • Daily Log: Rainfall entered by day, in a Daily Total (in.) grid.

  • Hourly Log: Rainfall entered by hour, in an Hourly Total (in.) grid.

  • Is this a Qualifying Event?: Whether this meets your permit's storm threshold.

  1. Click Save.

💡 All precipitation dates are stored in UTC and automatically converted to your instance's timezone for display.

Qualifying precipitation events

A qualifying precipitation event (QPE) is a storm that meets set rainfall thresholds. The system automatically detects QPEs from NOAA forecast data using these default thresholds:

  • Minimum initial rainfall: 0.5 inches

  • Minimum continuing rainfall: 0.25 inches

  • Minimum probability of precipitation: 50%

  • Forecast period: 24 hours

Qualifying events can send notifications to subscribed users.

Weather data integration

SwiftComply integrates with multiple weather data sources:

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

  • NDFD (National Digital Forecast Database): Forecast data.

  • NWS (National Weather Service) grid forecasts.

  • METAR observations from weather stations.

  • Forecast records for specific sites.

Weather Underground

  • Current weather observations from nearby stations.

Aeris Weather

  • Alternative weather observation data source.

Configuring weather stations for a site

Weather stations are configured by site on the Weather Stations by Site page, opened from Settings > Manage Weather Station or the Weather Stations button on the Weather Summary page. It shows each site's station key and station status: Operational, Reporting Issues, Failed, or Not Available. To add a station to a site, select the edit icon near the station key, then choose a weather provider and a station.

The Weather Summary page shows NOAA forecasts by site.

Weather in reports

Report templates can include prepopulated weather fields that auto-fill with:

  • Last storm start and end dates.

  • Latest storm since last report.

  • Ongoing storm data.

  • NOAA forecast attachment (if enabled on the template).

Weather analytics

Go to Analytics > Weather > Precipitation Events to view all precipitation data in a table format. Filter by program, site status, tags, and date range, and download the results with Download CSV.

FAQ

Q: Does weather auto-fill in inspection reports?

A: Yes. If weather integration is configured, prepopulated fields in reports pull weather data automatically, last storm dates, ongoing storm data, and NOAA forecasts.

Q: What if the automatic weather data is wrong?

A: You can manually log precipitation events with your own observed data. Manual entries override or supplement automatic data.

Q: How are qualifying events detected automatically?

A: The system monitors NOAA forecast data against configured thresholds (0.5" initial, 0.25" continuing, 50% probability). When thresholds are met, a qualifying event is recorded and notifications are sent to subscribed users.

Q: Can I customize the qualifying event thresholds?

A: The default thresholds are set in the system. Contact your administrator or SwiftComply support for threshold customization.

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