Hail in Ames · Jul 2, 2026
NEXRAD logged 7 hail signatures up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.
Convective day · Jul 2, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Ames 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
- 71 /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 Ames 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 Jul 2, 2026 sits in Ames's hail record.
This was Ames's 8th recorded hail day, arriving 4 days after the Jun 28, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 10 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Ames at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 2, 2026 convective day was bigger than Ames: the same system put hail over 1,147 other tracked cities, 245 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Nevada (10 miles east, up to 1.75"); Huxley (11 miles south, up to 1"); Roland (13 miles northeast, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 10 Ames 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Ames. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Ames 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
$45M
Potential roof exposure — 3,751 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 19 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$285K
Close just 0.5% of the 3,751 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 $788 on top of the $150 plan.
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 28, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 16, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 11, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 23, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 15, 2026
1"
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.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.