Hail in Opelika · Jul 5, 2026
NEXRAD logged 20 hail signatures up to 2"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. At 2" — tennis ball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
Convective day · Jul 5, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Opelika 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
- 50 /100
- Homes exposed
- 54 /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 Opelika 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.
Estimated size field The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.
The storm in context
Where Jul 5, 2026 sits in Opelika's hail record.
This was Opelika's 3rd recorded hail day, arriving 112 days after the Mar 15, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 9 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Opelika at 2" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 5, 2026 convective day was bigger than Opelika: the same system put hail over 971 other tracked cities, 58 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Auburn (19 miles west, up to 0.5"); Cataula (27 miles northeast, up to 1"); Tuskegee (29 miles west, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 9 Opelika 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 Opelika, 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.
Severe hail signal
What 2" hail means for Opelika roofs.
Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$5.7M
Potential roof exposure — 477 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 477 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 $100 on top of the $150 plan.
Opelika hail history
Other storms in Opelika.
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 13, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Aug 12, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 18, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 9, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface Mar 15, 2026
NEXRAD surface Mar 7, 2026
1"The next storm won’t wait for you.
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