Hail in Columbia · Mar 5, 2026
NEXRAD logged 3 hail signatures up to 0.5"; the estimated-size surface had no signal that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Mar 5, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 6th most severe storm Columbia has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Peak hail signal
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 32 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /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 Columbia saw the hail — from two instruments
The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.
Radar signature field Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
Only the NEXRAD radar-signature surface resolved for Mar 5, 2026 — the estimated-size swath had no hail signal to model for this storm, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Mar 5, 2026 sits in Columbia's hail record.
This was Columbia's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 6th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Columbia at 0.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Mar 5, 2026 convective day was bigger than Columbia: the same system put hail over 343 other tracked cities, 1 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Blakely (6 miles east, up to 0.75"); Slocomb (34 miles southwest, up to 0.5"); Cuthbert (40 miles northeast, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Columbia 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
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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Columbia. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Columbia roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$480K
Potential roof exposure — 40 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Claim window
March 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around March 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 $8 on top of the $150 plan.
Columbia hail history
Other storms in Columbia.
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 21, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 30, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 7, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 1, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 31, 2026
0.75"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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