Hail in Polk City · Jul 3, 2026
NEXRAD logged 16 hail signatures up to 1.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 3, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Polk 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
- 55 /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 Polk 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 Jul 3, 2026 sits in Polk City's hail record.
This was Polk City's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Jul 2, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Polk City at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 3, 2026 convective day was bigger than Polk City: the same system put hail over 1,885 other tracked cities, 182 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Madrid (5 miles west, up to 1.5"); Grimes (9 miles southwest, up to 1.5"); Woodward (10 miles west, up to 1.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Polk 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.
For this storm over Polk City, the NWS report log is empty — a common outcome, since ground reports only happen when someone witnesses the hail and takes the time to call it in. The detection record for the date lives in the radar maps above.
High damage potential
What 1.5" hail means for Polk 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
$6.4M
Potential roof exposure — 533 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 3 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$45K
Close just 0.5% of the 533 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 $112 on top of the $150 plan.
Polk City hail history
Other storms in Polk City.
Estimated-size surface Sep 8, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 12, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1"
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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