Hail size 1"
Bethalto Madison County
“(LSX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Bethalto May 3, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
Largest hailstone
1"
≈ quarter · the largest NEXRAD radar signature Homes in the hail footprint
749
Ground reports
2
2 hailThe 4th most severe storm Bethalto has seen in the last 12 months
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
3.4 /10
- Hail size
- 25 /100
- Homes exposed
- 58 /100
- Ground truth
- 33 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Bethalto saw the hail — from two instruments
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
NEXRAD radar signatures
NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Max size
1"
Detections
0
Radar-estimated hail size
Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
Max size
0.5"
Where May 3, 2026 sits in Bethalto's hail record
This was Bethalto's 3rd recorded hail day, arriving 6 days after the Apr 27, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 4th of the 4 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Bethalto at 1" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 3, 2026 convective day was bigger than Bethalto: the same system put hail over 115 other tracked cities, 63 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Alton (5 miles west, up to 1.75"); Bunker Hill (7 miles north, up to 0"); Edwardsville (9 miles southeast, up to 1").
These maps are stills from Bethalto's May 3, 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.
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.
Hail reports
2 reports Hail size 1.5"
1 NNE Bethalto Madison County
“(LSX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
What 1" hail means for Bethalto roofs
Quarter-size and larger hail is where asphalt shingle damage starts in earnest: bruised mats and granule loss that homeowners can't see from the ground. Most people inside the footprint won't know their roof was hit until someone inspects it.
What this storm is worth to a roofer
$9M
Potential roof exposure — 749 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Illustrative jobs
4 jobs
Illustrative work
~$60K
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.
Track hail over Bethalto on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Bethalto storm history — this May 3, 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
Bethalto hail history
← All hail in Bethalto 4 recorded storm days in Bethalto, IL
Other storms in Bethalto
A storm day here is a convective day — it runs from noon to noon
UTC, so late-night hail is grouped with the afternoon storm that
spawned it rather than split across two calendar dates. Ground
reports are public-domain observations from the NOAA Storm
Prediction Center. Radar surfaces are detections and estimates,
not confirmed damage. Last updated Aug 2, 2026.