“Ping pong size hail with photo. (ILX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Macon · Mar 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 4"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.75" aloft. At 4" — softball or larger — 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 · Mar 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Macon 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
- 100 /100
- Homes exposed
- 50 /100
- Ground truth
- 33 /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 Macon 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.
Radar signature field 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 Mar 26, 2026 sits in Macon's hail record.
This was Macon's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 23 days after the Mar 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 6 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Macon at 4" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Mar 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Macon: the same system put hail over 316 other tracked cities, 103 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Moweaqua (7 miles south, up to 4"); Dalton City (8 miles east, up to 2.5"); Blue Mound (11 miles west, up to 4").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 6 Macon 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.
Hail reports
2 reports“Quarter size hail reported. (ILX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
How the storm moved
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Reports came from Moweaqua — beyond Macon itself.
Severe hail signal
What 4" hail means for Macon 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
$3.8M
Potential roof exposure — 319 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 2 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$30K
Close just 0.5% of the 319 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
March 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around March 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 $67 on top of the $150 plan.
Estimated-size surface Aug 21, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 27, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Mar 3, 2026
0.5"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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