Hail in Pittsfield May 16, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 14 hail signatures up to 1.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
1.5"
≈ ping-pong ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature184
0
none filedThe 3rd most severe storm Pittsfield has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Hail size
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 45 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /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 Pittsfield 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.
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.
Where May 16, 2026 sits in Pittsfield's hail record
This was Pittsfield's 7th recorded hail day, arriving 2 days after the May 14, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 10 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Pittsfield at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 16, 2026 convective day was bigger than Pittsfield: the same system put hail over 711 other tracked cities, 70 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Nebo (4 miles southeast, up to 0.75"); Rockport (11 miles west, up to 0.75"); Annada (14 miles south, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills from Pittsfield's May 16, 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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Pittsfield 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.
What 1.5" hail means for Pittsfield roofs
At an inch and a half, hail cracks shingles, strips granules down to the mat, and dents gutters, vents, and siding. A footprint like this typically produces a wave of insurance claims — and the contractor who reaches the homeowner first usually gets the inspection.
$2.2M
Potential roof exposure — 184 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Pittsfield on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Pittsfield storm history — this May 16, 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
10 recorded storm days in Pittsfield, IL
Other storms in Pittsfield
Jun 17, 2026
0.5"
Jun 11, 2026
0.5"
May 31, 2026
1"
May 14, 2026
1"
May 4, 2026
1.5"
May 3, 2026
1"
Apr 27, 2026
2.5"
Apr 26, 2026
1"
Apr 17, 2026
0.5"