“Baseball sized hail reported along Interstate 85 at Exit 10 reported by trained spotter. Time approximate. (BMX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Shorter · May 6, 2026
Convective day · May 6, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Shorter 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
- 64 /100
- Ground truth
- 17 /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 Shorter saw the hail — from two instruments
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
The storm in context
Where May 6, 2026 sits in Shorter's hail record.
This was Shorter's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 1st of the 8 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Shorter at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 6, 2026 convective day was bigger than Shorter: the same system put hail over 226 other tracked cities, 82 of them in Alabama. Nearest: Cecil (7 miles south, up to 4"); Pike Road (9 miles southwest, up to 3.5"); Fitzpatrick (9 miles southeast, up to 4").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 8 Shorter 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.
Hail reports
1 reportStorm forensics
How the storm moved
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Reports came from Waugh — beyond Shorter itself.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Shorter 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
$19M
Potential roof exposure — 1,569 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 8 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$120K
Close just 0.5% of the 1,569 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
May 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around May 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 $329 on top of the $150 plan.
Shorter hail history
Other storms in Shorter.
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
0.5"
NEXRAD surface Jul 29, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 18, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 17, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 5, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 1, 2026
1"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.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.