Hail in Hays · May 9, 2026
NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 1"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 9, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 10th 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
- 25 /100
- Homes exposed
- 17 /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 May 9, 2026 sits in Hays's hail record.
This was Hays's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 13 days after the Apr 26, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 10th of the 14 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Hays at 1" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 9, 2026 convective day was bigger than Hays: the same system put hail over 268 other tracked cities, 10 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Mc Cracken (15 miles southwest, up to 0.5"); Ellis (19 miles northwest, up to 1"); Ogallah (28 miles west, up to 0.75").
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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Hays. 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.
Damage-capable hail signal
What 1" hail means for Hays roofs.
Quarter-size and larger hail can bruise asphalt mats, remove granules, and dent exposed soft metal. The mapped footprint identifies an inspection priority area — it does not identify which individual roofs, if any, sustained damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$72K
Potential roof exposure — 6 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 $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 Apr 26, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 9, 2026
0.5"
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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