Hail in Spirit Lake · Jul 2, 2026
NEXRAD logged 31 hail signatures up to 2"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft. At 2" — 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 · Jul 2, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm Spirit Lake 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
- 50 /100
- Homes exposed
- 62 /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 Spirit Lake 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 2, 2026 sits in Spirit Lake's hail record.
This was Spirit Lake's 11th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Jul 1, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 18 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Spirit Lake at 2" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 2, 2026 convective day was bigger than Spirit Lake: the same system put hail over 1,147 other tracked cities, 245 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Estherville (13 miles east, up to 1.75"); Jackson (18 miles north, up to 1.75"); Sherburn (20 miles northeast, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 18 Spirit Lake 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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Spirit Lake. That absence is ordinary — filing a report takes a person on the spot who saw the hail and phoned it in. What stands as the record for this date is the radar above, which caught the storm regardless.
Severe hail signal
What 2" hail means for Spirit Lake 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
$15M
Potential roof exposure — 1,240 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 6 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$90K
Close just 0.5% of the 1,240 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 $260 on top of the $150 plan.
Spirit Lake hail history
Other storms in Spirit Lake.
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Sep 3, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 18, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 9, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 8, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 7, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 30, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 29, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 27, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 9, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface May 25, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 18, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 15, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Apr 13, 2026
1.25"The next storm won’t wait for you.
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