Hail in Kirkwood · May 18, 2026
NEXRAD logged 2 hail signatures up to 1.25"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.
Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 3rd most severe storm Kirkwood 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
- 31 /100
- Homes exposed
- 31 /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 Kirkwood saw the hail — from two instruments
Each storm gets two readings: the radar signatures NEXRAD recorded as the cells passed overhead, and a modeled estimate of hail size in the air. They are independent surfaces, so a mismatch between them is expected — and worth reading.
The point detections NEXRAD recorded overhead. Each signature marks where the radar saw hail aloft — it is a detection, not a stone measured on the ground.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated hail size over the swath. The model reports the biggest stone the storm could sustain in the air; what actually fell may have been smaller.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Kirkwood's hail record.
This was Kirkwood's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 5 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Kirkwood at 1.25" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Kirkwood: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 13 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Wever (25 miles southwest, up to 0.5"); Macomb (31 miles southeast, up to 0.5"); Hillsboro (48 miles west, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 5 Kirkwood 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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Kirkwood for this date, which says more about who was watching than about the storm: spotter reports only exist where there is an observer. The radar surfaces above carry the evidence for this one.
Damage-capable hail signal
What 1.25" hail means for Kirkwood roofs.
Quarter-size and larger hail can bruise asphalt mats, remove granules, and dent exposed soft metal. The mapped footprint identifies an inspection priority area — it does not identify which individual roofs, if any, sustained damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$408K
Potential roof exposure — 34 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $7 on top of the $150 plan.
Kirkwood hail history
Other storms in Kirkwood.
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 31, 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.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.