Hail in Cedar Falls · May 16, 2026
NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 0.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 16, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 6th most severe storm Cedar Falls 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
- 34 /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 Cedar Falls 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 May 16, 2026 sits in Cedar Falls's hail record.
This was Cedar Falls's 3rd recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 15, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 6th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Cedar Falls at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 16, 2026 convective day was bigger than Cedar Falls: the same system put hail over 711 other tracked cities, 64 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Holland (12 miles southwest, up to 0"); Dunkerton (22 miles east, up to 0.5"); Readlyn (25 miles northeast, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Cedar Falls 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 Cedar Falls, 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Cedar Falls 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
$600K
Potential roof exposure — 50 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $11 on top of the $150 plan.
Cedar Falls hail history
Other storms in Cedar Falls.
Estimated-size surface Aug 10, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 7, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 26, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 15, 2026
Estimated-size surface Apr 14, 2026
2.25"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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Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.