Hail in Storm Lake · May 15, 2026
NEXRAD logged 17 hail signatures up to 2"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" 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.
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Convective day · May 15, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Storm 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
- 60 /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 Storm 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 May 15, 2026 sits in Storm Lake's hail record.
This was Storm Lake's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 22 days after the Apr 23, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 8 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Storm Lake at 2" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 15, 2026 convective day was bigger than Storm Lake: the same system put hail over 444 other tracked cities, 236 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Nemaha (7 miles south, up to 2"); Newell (8 miles east, up to 1.75"); Alta (10 miles northwest, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 8 Storm 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.
For this storm over Storm Lake, 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.
Severe hail signal
What 2" hail means for Storm 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
$11M
Potential roof exposure — 956 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 5 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$75K
Close just 0.5% of the 956 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
May 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around May 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 $201 on top of the $150 plan.
Storm Lake hail history
Other storms in Storm Lake.
Estimated-size surface Aug 10, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 27, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 16, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 23, 2026
2"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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