Hail in Cottonwood Falls · May 18, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Cottonwood Falls that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 11th most severe storm Cottonwood Falls 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
- 36 /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 Cottonwood Falls saw the hail — from two instruments
The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.
Estimated size field The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for May 18, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Cottonwood Falls, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Cottonwood Falls's hail record.
This was Cottonwood Falls's 7th recorded hail day, arriving 22 days after the Apr 26, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 11th of the 13 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Cottonwood Falls at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Cottonwood Falls: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 258 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Matfield Green (10 miles south, up to 0.75"); Cedar Point (14 miles west, up to 0.75"); Olpe (15 miles southeast, up to 1").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 13 Cottonwood Falls 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 Cottonwood Falls. 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Cottonwood Falls 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
$744K
Potential roof exposure — 62 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 $13 on top of the $150 plan.
Cottonwood Falls hail history
Other storms in Cottonwood Falls.
Estimated-size surface Sep 13, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 6, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 13, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 8, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 31, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 30, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 26, 2026
3.5"
Estimated-size surface Apr 23, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 13, 2026
3"
Estimated-size surface Apr 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Mar 10, 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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