Hail in Lake Wales · Jul 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 18 hail signatures up to 2.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft. At 2.5" — baseball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm Lake Wales 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
- 63 /100
- Homes exposed
- 39 /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 Lake Wales saw the hail — from two instruments
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
Radar signature field NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
The storm in context
Where Jul 26, 2026 sits in Lake Wales's hail record.
This was Lake Wales's 20th recorded hail day, arriving 9 days after the Jul 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 28 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Lake Wales at 2.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Lake Wales: the same system put hail over 351 other tracked cities, 53 of them in Florida. Nearest: Babson Park (14 miles south, up to 0.75"); Kenansville (15 miles east, up to 3"); Saint Cloud (18 miles northeast, up to 2.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 28 Lake Wales 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 Lake Wales 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.
Severe hail signal
What 2.5" hail means for Lake Wales 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
$1.1M
Potential roof exposure — 91 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $19 on top of the $150 plan.
Lake Wales hail history
Other storms in Lake Wales.
Estimated-size surface Sep 5, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Sep 4, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 26, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 21, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 20, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 19, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 12, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 5, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 17, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 16, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 10, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 7, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 29, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 24, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 23, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 22, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Jun 21, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 20, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 19, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 12, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface May 26, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface May 12, 2026
2.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 25, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 15, 2026
2"
NEXRAD surface Mar 5, 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.
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