“Ping pong ball size hail reported south of Farragut. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Hamburg · May 18, 2026
NEXRAD logged 19 hail signatures up to 2.25"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft. At 2.25" — 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.
Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Hamburg 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
- 56 /100
- Homes exposed
- 50 /100
- Ground truth
- 17 /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 Hamburg 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.
Radar signature field Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
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.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Hamburg's hail record.
This was Hamburg's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 12 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Hamburg at 2.25" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Hamburg: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 102 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Rock Port (7 miles south, up to 2.5"); Watson (7 miles south, up to 2.5"); Shenandoah (8 miles east, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 12 Hamburg 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.
Hail reports
1 reportStorm forensics
How the storm moved
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Reports came from Farragut — beyond Hamburg itself.
Severe hail signal
What 2.25" hail means for Hamburg 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
$3.9M
Potential roof exposure — 328 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 2 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$30K
Close just 0.5% of the 328 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 $69 on top of the $150 plan.
Hamburg hail history
Other storms in Hamburg.
Estimated-size surface Sep 14, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 30, 2026
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 16, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 23, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Apr 3, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Mar 6, 2026
1"The next storm won’t wait for you.
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