Hail in Ames · Oct 8, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Ames that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Oct 8, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 10th 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 57 /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
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.
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.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Oct 8, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Ames, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Oct 8, 2026 sits in Ames's hail record.
This was Ames's 11th recorded hail day, arriving 80 days after the Jul 20, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 10th of the 11 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Ames at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Oct 8, 2026 convective day was bigger than Ames: the same system put hail over 86 other tracked cities, 76 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Boone (8 miles northwest, up to 0.5"); Huxley (9 miles southeast, up to 0.5"); Elkhart (17 miles southeast, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 11 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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Ames 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 0.5" hail means for Ames 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
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$8.8M
Potential roof exposure — 735 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 4 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$60K
Close just 0.5% of the 735 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
October 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around October 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 $154 on top of the $150 plan.
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1.75"
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.
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For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.