Hail in Iowa City · Mar 31, 2026
NEXRAD logged 33 hail signatures up to 1.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.
Convective day · Mar 31, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Iowa City 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
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 76 /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 Iowa City saw the hail — from two instruments
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
The storm in context
Where Mar 31, 2026 sits in Iowa City's hail record.
This was Iowa City's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Mar 30, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 12 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Iowa City at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Mar 31, 2026 convective day was bigger than Iowa City: the same system put hail over 522 other tracked cities, 24 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Lone Tree (11 miles south, up to 1"); Nichols (13 miles southeast, up to 1"); Conesville (19 miles southeast, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 12 Iowa City 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 Iowa City. 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.
High damage potential
What 1.5" hail means for Iowa City roofs.
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$78M
Potential roof exposure — 6,535 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 33 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$495K
Close just 0.5% of the 6,535 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
March 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around March 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 $1,372 on top of the $150 plan.
Iowa City hail history
Other storms in Iowa City.
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 7, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 17, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 14, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Apr 2, 2026
3"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface Mar 15, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 10, 2026
1.75"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.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.