Hail in Alta Vista · May 15, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; the estimated-size surface had no signal that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 15, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 5th most severe storm Alta Vista 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
- 0 /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 Alta Vista 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.
Only the NEXRAD radar-signature surface resolved for May 15, 2026 — the estimated-size swath had no hail signal to model for this storm, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 15, 2026 sits in Alta Vista's hail record.
This was Alta Vista's 3rd recorded hail day, arriving 18 days after the Apr 27, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 5th of the 5 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Alta Vista at 0" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 15, 2026 convective day was bigger than Alta Vista: the same system put hail over 444 other tracked cities, 236 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Charles City (14 miles southwest, up to 0"); Nashua (21 miles south, up to 1"); Rudd (23 miles west, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 5 Alta Vista 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 Alta Vista 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0" hail means for Alta Vista roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Alta Vista hail history
Other storms in Alta Vista.
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 27, 2026
2.25"
Estimated-size surface Apr 14, 2026
1.75"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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For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.