Hail in Waterman · Mar 31, 2026
Convective day · Mar 31, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm Waterman 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
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 49 /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 Waterman 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.
Radar signature field 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.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
The storm in context
Where Mar 31, 2026 sits in Waterman's hail record.
This was Waterman's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Mar 30, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Waterman at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Mar 31, 2026 convective day was bigger than Waterman: the same system put hail over 522 other tracked cities, 114 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Somonauk (6 miles southeast, up to 2.25"); Paw Paw (11 miles west, up to 1.75"); Leland (11 miles south, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Waterman 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Waterman. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
High damage potential
What 1.5" hail means for Waterman roofs.
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$3.6M
Potential roof exposure — 296 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 1 job
- Illustrative work
- ~$15K
Close just 0.5% of the 296 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 $62 on top of the $150 plan.
Waterman hail history
Other storms in Waterman.
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface Apr 21, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 2026
1.75"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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