Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 9 hail signatures up to 0.75", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
A tornado was also reported to the National Weather Service during this storm — see the ground reports below.
0.75"
≈ penny to nickel · the largest NEXRAD radar signature357
3
3 tornadoOverview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
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.
Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
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.
This was Lime Springs's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 3 days after the Apr 14, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 4th of the 9 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Lime Springs at 0.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 17, 2026 convective day was bigger than Lime Springs: the same system put hail over 1,016 other tracked cities, 201 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Elma (7 miles south, up to 0.75"); Chester (9 miles northwest, up to 0.75"); Riceville (13 miles west, up to 1.5").
These maps are stills from Lime Springs's Apr 17, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
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.
“*** 1 INJ *** This tornado developed northwest of Saratoga and tracked northeast... damaging one outbuilding during its existence... supporting an EF0 rating with maxim (ARX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“*** 1 INJ *** Tornado confirmed via photos from Riceville firefighter. One house reported damaged. A box truck was also directly hit by the tornado and forced into a di (ARX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“*** 1 INJ *** Tornado confirmed via photos from Riceville firefighter. One house reported damaged. A box truck was also directly hit by the tornado and forced into a di (ARX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Reports came from Saratoga — beyond Lime Springs itself.
Hail this size sits right at the edge of the National Weather Service severe threshold. Newer roofs usually shrug it off, but aging or already-worn shingles can bruise, and soft metals — vents, flashing, gutters — often show the first dents.
$4.3M
Potential roof exposure — 357 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Lime Springs storm history — this Apr 17, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
9 recorded storm days in Lime Springs, IA
Jul 8, 2026
3"
Jul 2, 2026
1.75"
Jul 1, 2026
1.25"
Jun 30, 2026
Jun 10, 2026
0.5"
May 17, 2026
1"
May 15, 2026
Apr 14, 2026
2"