Hail in Hays · Apr 9, 2026
NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 0.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 9, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 12th most severe storm Hays 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
- 18 /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 Hays saw the hail — from two instruments
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
The storm in context
Where Apr 9, 2026 sits in Hays's hail record.
This was Hays's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Apr 8, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 12th of the 14 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Hays at 0.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 9, 2026 convective day was bigger than Hays: the same system put hail over 161 other tracked cities, 97 of them in Kansas. Nearest: La Crosse (7 miles south, up to 0.5"); Bison (15 miles south, up to 1"); Olmitz (21 miles southeast, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 14 Hays 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.
For this storm over Hays, the NWS report log is empty — a common outcome, since ground reports only happen when someone witnesses the hail and takes the time to call it in. The detection record for the date lives in the radar maps above.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Hays 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
$84K
Potential roof exposure — 7 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $1 on top of the $150 plan.
Estimated-size surface Aug 15, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
Estimated-size surface Jun 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 8, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 3, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jun 1, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 30, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface May 29, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 16, 2026
Estimated-size surface May 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 26, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 8, 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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