Hail size 1"
4 NE Athens Limestone County
“(HUN)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
/ Storm field report · Limestone
Hail in Athens · Feb 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Peak hail signal 1.75" ≈ golf ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 12,182
Ground reports 5 5 hail
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size
Convective day · Feb 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Athens has seen in the last 12 months
Composite score · 5.9 / 10
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
5.9 /10
- Peak hail signal
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 82 /100
- Ground truth
- 83 /100
Largest radar-indicated size — a signal of damage potential, not confirmation.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
Evidence / storm surfaces
How Athens saw the hail — from two instruments
Feb 26, 2026 · Athens, AL
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 Surface resolved
Radar signature field 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 Surface resolved
Estimated size field 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"
The storm in context
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 9 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: Town Creek (13 miles southwest, up to 2.25"); Minor Hill (14 miles north, up to 2.5"); Hillsboro (14 miles south, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 9 Athens storm dates on a live map — both surfaces, the reports, and a replay — and the same map is where you draw the swath. This page rebuilds nightly.
Ground reports
What people on the ground reported
5 reports filed with the NWS
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
How the storm moved
Timing and place names from NOAA ground reports
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
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.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Athens roofs.
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
12,182 homes × $12,000 avg. claim
Potential roof exposure
$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
Close just 0.5% of the 12,182 homes in this footprint at the average $15,000 roof job. Illustrative math, not a projection — your results depend on your outreach and how the market responds.
Claim window
February 2028
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.
Names and phones for every home in the footprint: at most $2,558 on top of the $150 plan.
Athens hail history
Other storms in Athens.
9 recorded storm days in Athens, AL
Map unavailable
NEXRAD surface Storm date Athens / AL
Aug 26, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Aug 20, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Aug 17, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Aug 7, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Jul 9, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Jul 3, 2026
1.5" Signatures 1.5" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Jul 1, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Athens / AL
Jun 1, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
The next storm won’t wait for you.
Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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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 tells you where to look. Only an inspection confirms damage at an address. Last updated Aug 27, 2026.