Hail in Hiawatha · May 18, 2026
NEXRAD logged 3 hail signatures up to 0.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.
Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 11th most severe storm Hiawatha 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
- 19 /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 Hiawatha 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 18, 2026 sits in Hiawatha's hail record.
This was Hiawatha's 10th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 11th of the 21 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Hiawatha at 0.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Hiawatha: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 258 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Horton (7 miles south, up to 0.5"); Robinson (8 miles east, up to 0.5"); Morrill (11 miles northwest, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 21 Hiawatha 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 Hiawatha. 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.
Near the severe threshold
What 0.75" hail means for Hiawatha roofs.
A signal this size sits near the National Weather Service severe threshold. Aging shingles and soft metals such as vents, flashing, and gutters may be more vulnerable; roof age, wind, and material condition all matter, and only an inspection can confirm damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$1.2M
Potential roof exposure — 102 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 1 job
- Illustrative work
- ~$15K
Close just 0.5% of the 102 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
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.
Hiawatha hail history
Other storms in Hiawatha.
Sep 19, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Sep 13, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 19, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 15, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 29, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 20, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 13, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface May 16, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Apr 26, 2026
Estimated-size surface Apr 23, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 11, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 31, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface Mar 6, 2026
Estimated-size surface Mar 5, 2026
1.75"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.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.