Hail in Detroit · Feb 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Feb 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 5th most severe storm Detroit 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
- 0 /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 Detroit 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 Feb 26, 2026 sits in Detroit's hail record.
This was Detroit's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 5th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Detroit at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Feb 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Detroit: the same system put hail over 131 other tracked cities, 49 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Smithville (9 miles west, up to 1.75"); Beaverton (9 miles east, up to 1.75"); Hamilton (11 miles north, up to 1").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Detroit 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.
For this storm over Detroit, the NWS report log is empty — a common outcome, since ground reports only happen when someone witnesses the hail and takes the time to call it in. The detection record for the date lives in the radar maps above.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Detroit 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
Detroit hail history
Other storms in Detroit.
Estimated-size surface Jul 11, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 1, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Apr 28, 2026
2.75"
NEXRAD surface Mar 15, 2026
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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