Hail in Ankeny · May 18, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Ankeny that day. 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 · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Ankeny 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
- 19 /100
- Homes exposed
- 88 /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 Ankeny 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 May 18, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Ankeny, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Ankeny's hail record.
This was Ankeny's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 31 days after the Apr 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Ankeny at 0.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Ankeny: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 102 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Bondurant (5 miles east, up to 0.75"); Des Moines (9 miles southwest, up to 0.75"); Pleasant Hill (9 miles southeast, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Ankeny 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.
For this storm over Ankeny, the NWS report log is empty — a common outcome, since ground reports only happen when someone witnesses the hail and takes the time to call it in. The detection record for the date lives in the radar maps above.
Near the severe threshold
What 0.75" hail means for Ankeny roofs.
A signal this size sits near the National Weather Service severe threshold. Aging shingles and soft metals such as vents, flashing, and gutters may be more vulnerable; roof age, wind, and material condition all matter, and only an inspection can confirm damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$302M
Potential roof exposure — 25,184 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 126 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$1.9M
Close just 0.5% of the 25,184 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 $5,289 on top of the $150 plan.
Ankeny hail history
Other storms in Ankeny.
Estimated-size surface Sep 8, 2026
3.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Apr 15, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 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.