Hail in Iowa City · Jul 8, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 8, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 11th 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 52 /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
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
Radar signature field NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
The storm in context
Where Jul 8, 2026 sits in Iowa City's hail record.
This was Iowa City's 10th recorded hail day, arriving 5 days after the Jul 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 11th of the 12 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Iowa City at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 8, 2026 convective day was bigger than Iowa City: the same system put hail over 908 other tracked cities, 105 of them in Iowa. Nearest: North Liberty (13 miles northwest, up to 0"); Lawler (106 miles north, up to 1"); Ackley (111 miles northwest, up to 1.75").
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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Iowa City 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
$4.8M
Potential roof exposure — 397 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 397 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 $83 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 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 31, 2026
1.5"
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.
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For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.