Hail in Bronson · May 18, 2026
Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 5th most severe storm Bronson 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 40 /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 Bronson 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.
Only the NEXRAD radar-signature surface resolved for May 18, 2026 — the estimated-size swath had no hail signal to model for this storm, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Bronson's hail record.
This was Bronson's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 21 days after the Apr 27, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 5th of the 9 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Bronson at 0.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Bronson: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 258 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Fort Scott (18 miles southeast, up to 0.75"); Erie (19 miles southwest, up to 0.75"); Girard (28 miles south, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 9 Bronson 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 Bronson 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Bronson roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$1.2M
Potential roof exposure — 98 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 $21 on top of the $150 plan.
Bronson hail history
Other storms in Bronson.
Estimated-size surface Sep 9, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 8, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 31, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 27, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 26, 2026
2.75"
NEXRAD surface Apr 23, 2026
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
1"The next storm won’t wait for you.
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