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Documentation for /cgi-bin/request/gis/lsr.py
This service emits NWS Local Storm Report (LSR) data in various formats. This dataset is as live as when you query it as reports are ingested in realtime.
Changelog
- 2026-03-19: A magge parameter was added, representing a filter for reports with a magnitude greater than or equal to the given value.
- 2024-10-24: Added bounding box parameters of north, south, east, and west to allow for spatial subsetting of the results.
- 2024-09-23: Added qualify as the Estimated, Measured, or Unknown qualifier of the magnitude value. Perhaps fixed a problem with SHP output as well.
- 2024-08-14: Correct bug with reports for Puerto Rico were not included.
- 2024-07-18: Instead of returning a No results found for query when no database entries are found, we return an empty result.
- 2024-04-05: Initial documentation release and migration to pydantic.
- 2024-04-05: The legacy usage of wfo[] for CGI arguments is still supported, but migration to wfo is encouraged.
Example Requests
Provide an Excel file of recent LSRs within the past 30 minutes.
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/request/gis/lsr.py?recent=1800&fmt=excel
Provide all Iowa LSRs for 2024 in KML format and then shapefile format.
Provide any Iowa LSRs for 2024 with a magnitude of at least 2 (inch) for HAIL reports.
Return all the LSRs issued by the Des Moines WFO in CSV format.
Provide all LSRs for 2024 for a lat/lon bounding box approximating Iowa and return as a CSV file.
CGI Arguments
The following table lists the CGI arguments that are accepted by this service. A HTTP GET request is required. Fields of type Multi-Params or CSV value can accept either a comma separated list or multiple parameter and value combinations. For example, ?foo=1&foo=2 is equivalent to ?foo=1,2.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| magge | number or null | Filter LSRs by the given magnitude threshold for events with a magnitude greater than or equal to the given value. This is a blunt force tool that does not work for reports without a magnitude and things like Tornado reports that don't have one either. |
| ets | string or null | The end of the period you are interested in. |
| fmt | string | The output format you desire. |
| justcsv | boolean | If set, only the CSV file is returned. |
| recent | integer or null | For near realtime requests, the number of seconds to go back in time. The timestamp query is the time of the LSR report, not the time it was disseminated by the NWS. Must be less than 1,000,000 seconds. |
| state | Multi-Params or CSV value | Limit results to these states. |
| sts | string | The start of the period you are interested in. |
| type | Multi-Params or CSV value | Limit results to these event types. |
| wfo | Multi-Params or CSV value | Limit results to these WFOs. |
| year1 | integer | If sts unset, the start year value in UTC. |
| month1 | integer | If sts unset, the start month value in UTC. |
| day1 | integer | If sts unset, the start day value in UTC. |
| hour1 | integer | If sts unset, the start hour value in UTC. |
| minute1 | integer | If sts unset, the start minute value in UTC. |
| year2 | integer | If ets unset, the end year value in UTC. |
| month2 | integer | If ets unset, the end month value in UTC. |
| day2 | integer | If ets unset, the end day value in UTC. |
| hour2 | integer | If ets unset, the end hour value in UTC. |
| minute2 | integer | If ets unset, the end minute value in UTC. |
| east | number or null | Longitude (decimal degrees) of point of interest |
| west | number or null | Longitude (decimal degrees) of point of interest |
| north | number or null | Latitude (decimal degrees) of point of interest |
| south | number or null | Latitude (decimal degrees) of point of interest |