Hail in Des Moines May 18, 2026
The radar-estimated size surface caught this storm, reaching 0.75" aloft. NEXRAD logged no point detections over Des Moines this day.
0.75"
≈ penny to nickel · radar-estimated size aloft58,799
0
none filedThe 5th most severe storm Des Moines has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Hail size
- 19 /100
- Homes exposed
- 95 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Des Moines 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-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.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for May 18, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Des Moines, so there is one map to show, not two.
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Des Moines's hail record
This was Des Moines's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 31 days after the Apr 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 5th of the 9 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Des Moines at 0.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Des Moines: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 102 of them in Iowa. Nearest: West Des Moines (5 miles west, up to 0.75"); Ankeny (9 miles northeast, up to 0.75"); Cumming (9 miles southwest, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills from Des Moines's May 18, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Des Moines. That absence is ordinary — filing a report takes a person on the spot who saw the hail and phoned it in. What stands as the record for this date is the radar above, which caught the storm regardless.
What 0.75" hail means for Des Moines roofs
Hail this size sits right at the edge of the National Weather Service severe threshold. Newer roofs usually shrug it off, but aging or already-worn shingles can bruise, and soft metals — vents, flashing, gutters — often show the first dents.
$706M
Potential roof exposure — 58,799 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Des Moines on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Des Moines storm history — this May 18, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
9 recorded storm days in Des Moines, IA
Other storms in Des Moines
Jul 27, 2026
0.5"
Jul 20, 2026
1.5"
Jul 3, 2026
1"
Jul 2, 2026
1.75"
Jun 11, 2026
0.75"
Apr 17, 2026
0.75"
Mar 30, 2026
1"
Mar 6, 2026
0.5"