Hail in West Branch · Apr 15, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over West Branch that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 15, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 7th most severe storm West Branch 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
- 30 /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 West Branch saw the hail — from two instruments
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.
Estimated size field 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.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Apr 15, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over West Branch, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Apr 15, 2026 sits in West Branch's hail record.
This was West Branch's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 13 days after the Apr 2, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 7th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over West Branch at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Apr 15, 2026 convective day was bigger than West Branch: the same system put hail over 425 other tracked cities, 127 of them in Iowa. Nearest: Conesville (21 miles south, up to 1"); Cedar Rapids (25 miles northwest, up to 0.5"); Columbus Junction (28 miles south, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 West Branch 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 West Branch. 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for West Branch 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
$348K
Potential roof exposure — 29 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Claim window
April 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around April 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 $6 on top of the $150 plan.
West Branch hail history
Other storms in West Branch.
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Apr 2, 2026
2.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Mar 10, 2026
1.5"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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