Hail in Columbia · Jul 7, 2026
Convective day · Jul 7, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 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
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 51 /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
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.
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.
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.
The storm in context
Where Jul 7, 2026 sits in Columbia's hail record.
This was Columbia's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 97 days after the Apr 1, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Columbia at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 7, 2026 convective day was bigger than Columbia: the same system put hail over 568 other tracked cities, 21 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Blakely (6 miles east, up to 1.75"); Ashford (15 miles southwest, up to 1.75"); Cowarts (18 miles southwest, up to 1.5").
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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Columbia for this date, which says more about who was watching than about the storm: spotter reports only exist where there is an observer. The radar surfaces above carry the evidence for this one.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Columbia 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.
Potential roof exposure
$4.1M
Potential roof exposure — 340 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 2 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$30K
Close just 0.5% of the 340 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
July 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around July 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 $71 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 Apr 1, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 31, 2026
0.75"
NEXRAD surface Mar 5, 2026
0.5"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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