Hail in Altoona · Apr 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 2.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft. At 2.5" — baseball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Altoona 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
- 63 /100
- Homes exposed
- 64 /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 Altoona 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 Apr 26, 2026 sits in Altoona's hail record.
This was Altoona's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 9 days after the Apr 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 12 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Altoona at 2.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Altoona: the same system put hail over 710 other tracked cities, 277 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Thayer (11 miles southeast, up to 2.5"); Fredonia (13 miles southwest, up to 4"); Neodesha (15 miles south, up to 4").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 12 Altoona 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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Altoona. That absence is ordinary — filing a report takes a person on the spot who saw the hail and phoned it in. What stands as the record for this date is the radar above, which caught the storm regardless.
Severe hail signal
What 2.5" hail means for Altoona 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
$19M
Potential roof exposure — 1,555 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 8 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$120K
Close just 0.5% of the 1,555 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
April 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around April 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 $327 on top of the $150 plan.
Altoona hail history
Other storms in Altoona.
Estimated-size surface Sep 12, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 29, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 10, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 16, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 13, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface May 31, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Mar 31, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface Mar 5, 2026
Estimated-size surface Mar 3, 2026
1"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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For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.