Weather & Science
Zillow Deleting Home Climate Risk Scores Reveals Limits of Flood, Fire Data
Property owners and buyers need more information on climate dangers. But pinpointing them is hard, even for experts.
When Zillow Group Inc. removed climate risk scores from its home listings last month, following a complaint from the real estate industry, many observers took to the press and social media to warn that disappearing the data doesn’t get rid of the risk.
In a world assailed by extreme weather, homeowners and purchasers need to know their property’s vulnerability to wildfire or flooding. Ratings like those Zillow took down — which use the latest science, advanced computing and satellite imagery — are a big improvement on often outdated federal flood maps and state wildfire maps.