The radar-estimated size surface caught this storm, reaching 1.75" aloft. NEXRAD logged no point detections over Paola this day.
1.75"
≈ golf ball · radar-estimated size aloft6,399
16
15 hail · 1 windOverview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
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.
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.
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 8 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: Osawatomie (14 miles south, up to 2"); Greeley (16 miles southwest, up to 1.75"); Bucyrus (19 miles northeast, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills from Paola's Apr 15, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
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
Hail was reported over 18 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Osawatomie and Hillsdale — beyond Paola itself.
At an inch and a half, hail cracks shingles, strips granules down to the mat, and dents gutters, vents, and siding. A footprint like this typically produces a wave of insurance claims — and the contractor who reaches the homeowner first usually gets the inspection.
$77M
Potential roof exposure — 6,399 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Paola storm history — this Apr 15, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
8 recorded storm days in Paola, KS
Jul 4, 2026
1"
Jun 17, 2026
0.5"
Jun 8, 2026
1"
May 30, 2026
1"
May 29, 2026
2.5"
Apr 26, 2026
1"
Apr 17, 2026
2.25"