Hail size 1"
4 NE Athens Limestone County
“(HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Athens Feb 26, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1.75", and the radar-estimated size reached 1" aloft.
Largest hailstone
1.75"
≈ golf ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature Homes in the hail footprint
12,182
Ground reports
5
5 hailThe most severe storm Athens has seen in the last 12 months
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
5.9 /10
- Hail size
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 82 /100
- Ground truth
- 83 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Athens saw the hail — from two instruments
Each storm gets two readings: the radar signatures NEXRAD recorded as the cells passed overhead, and a modeled estimate of hail size in the air. They are independent surfaces, so a mismatch between them is expected — and worth reading.
NEXRAD radar signatures
The point detections NEXRAD recorded overhead. Each signature marks where the radar saw hail aloft — it is a detection, not a stone measured on the ground.
Max size
1.75"
Detections
0
Radar-estimated hail size
Radar-estimated hail size over the swath. The model reports the biggest stone the storm could sustain in the air; what actually fell may have been smaller.
Max size
1"
Where Feb 26, 2026 sits in Athens's hail record
This was Athens's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 1st of the 5 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Athens at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Feb 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Athens: the same system put hail over 131 other tracked cities, 49 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Minor Hill (10 miles north, up to 2.5"); Prospect (12 miles northeast, up to 2.5"); Anderson (15 miles northwest, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills from Athens's Feb 26, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
What people on the ground reported
These are storm reports filed with the National Weather Service and released through the NOAA Storm Prediction Center — public-domain observations from spotters, the public, and NWS surveys. We quote each one exactly as filed.
Hail reports
5 reports Hail size 1.25"
2 NW Athens Limestone County
“(HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
Athens Limestone County
“(HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
2 W Athens Limestone County
“Quarter sized hail reported on Lucas Ferry Road. Time estimated by radar. (HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
6 W Harvest Limestone County
“Hail was very spiky and was just over an inch big. (HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports,
not a radar-measured storm track.
How the storm moved
The storm tracked west at roughly 5 mph, based on the timing of ground reports.
Hail was reported over 55 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Harvest — beyond Athens itself.
What 1.75" hail means for Athens roofs
At an inch and a half, hail cracks shingles, strips granules down to the mat, and dents gutters, vents, and siding. A footprint like this typically produces a wave of insurance claims — and the contractor who reaches the homeowner first usually gets the inspection.
What this storm is worth to a roofer
$146M
Potential roof exposure — 12,182 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Illustrative jobs
61 jobs
Illustrative work
~$915K
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around February 2028 — the window to reach these homeowners while it's still open. Deadlines vary by policy and state.
Track hail over Athens on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Athens storm history — this Feb 26, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
Athens hail history
← All hail in Athens 5 recorded storm days in Athens, AL
Other storms in Athens
Jul 9, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed 
Jul 3, 2026
1.5" Signatures 1.5" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed 
Jul 1, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed 
Jun 1, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed
A storm day here is a convective day — it runs from noon to noon
UTC, so late-night hail is grouped with the afternoon storm that
spawned it rather than split across two calendar dates. Ground
reports are public-domain observations from the NOAA Storm
Prediction Center. Radar surfaces are detections and estimates,
not confirmed damage. Last updated Aug 3, 2026.