Hail in Grimes · Jul 20, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 2" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Grimes that day. At 2" — tennis ball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 20, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Grimes 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
- 50 /100
- Homes exposed
- 83 /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 Grimes saw the hail — from two instruments
The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.
Estimated size field The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Jul 20, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Grimes, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Jul 20, 2026 sits in Grimes's hail record.
This was Grimes's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 17 days after the Jul 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 5 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Grimes at 2" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 20, 2026 convective day was bigger than Grimes: the same system put hail over 553 other tracked cities, 178 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Johnston (5 miles east, up to 1.75"); Madrid (7 miles north, up to 2"); West Des Moines (7 miles south, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 5 Grimes 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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Grimes. 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.
Severe hail signal
What 2" hail means for Grimes roofs.
Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$161M
Potential roof exposure — 13,402 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 67 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$1M
Close just 0.5% of the 13,402 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
July 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around July 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 $2,814 on top of the $150 plan.
Grimes hail history
Other storms in Grimes.
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 11, 2026
0.75"
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.
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