Hail in Des Moines · Sep 15, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Des Moines that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Sep 15, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 10th 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.
- Peak hail signal
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 67 /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 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.
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.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Sep 15, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Des Moines, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Sep 15, 2026 sits in Des Moines's hail record.
This was Des Moines's 11th recorded hail day, arriving 7 days after the Sep 8, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 10th of the 11 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Des Moines at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Sep 15, 2026 convective day was bigger than Des Moines: the same system put hail over 169 other tracked cities. Nearest: Green City (100 miles south, up to 0.75"); Milan (102 miles south, up to 0.75"); Trenton (104 miles south, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 11 Des Moines 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 Des Moines. 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Des Moines 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
$26M
Potential roof exposure — 2,161 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 11 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$165K
Close just 0.5% of the 2,161 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
September 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around September 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 $454 on top of the $150 plan.
Des Moines hail history
Other storms in Des Moines.
Estimated-size surface Sep 8, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 27, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 11, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface May 18, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Mar 6, 2026
0.5"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.