The estimated-size surface reached 1.75" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Paola that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 15, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
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
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Apr 15, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Paola, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
This was Paola's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 1st of the 11 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Paola at 1.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Apr 15, 2026 convective day was bigger than Paola: the same system put hail over 425 other tracked cities, 34 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Bucyrus (11 miles northeast, up to 0.75"); Osawatomie (16 miles southwest, up to 2"); Greeley (19 miles southwest, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 11 Paola 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
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.
“Several social media photos and videos of hail up to tennis ball size in Osawatomie. Multiple homes and vehicles were damaged... with many windows and windshields crack (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Report of ping pong sized hail. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Damaged roof of a house. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Photo from social media shows hail approximately baseball sized. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Golf ball size hail at the Paola Golf Club. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“(EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Measured 2.5 inch hail in downtown Paola. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Social media report. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Report relayed via social media. Time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“PWS measured wind gust... time estimated from radar. (EAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Hail was reported over 18 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Osawatomie and Hillsdale — beyond Paola itself.
High damage potential
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
Potential roof exposure
$77M
Potential roof exposure — 6,399 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Close just 0.5% of the 6,399 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
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 $1,344 on top of the $150 plan.
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Estimated-size surface Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.