Hail size 1"
Derby Sedgwick County
“(ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
/ Storm field report · Sedgwick
Hail in Wichita · Apr 17, 2026
NEXRAD logged 81 hail signatures up to 2.25"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft. At 2.25" — tennis ball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Peak hail signal 2.25" ≈ tennis ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 41,696
Ground reports 8 8 hail
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size
Convective day · Apr 17, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm Wichita has seen in the last 12 months
Composite score · 7.2 / 10
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
7.2 /10
- Peak hail signal
- 56 /100
- Homes exposed
- 92 /100
- Ground truth
- 100 /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 Wichita saw the hail — from two instruments
Apr 17, 2026 · Wichita, KS
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.
NEXRAD radar signatures Surface resolved
Radar signature field NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Max size
2.25"
Detections
81
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
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.
Max size
1.25"
The storm in context
Where Apr 17, 2026 sits in Wichita's hail record.
This was Wichita's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 14 days after the Apr 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 20 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Wichita at 2.25" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 17, 2026 convective day was bigger than Wichita: the same system put hail over 1,016 other tracked cities, 144 of them in Kansas. Nearest: Derby (5 miles east, up to 1.5"); Mulvane (7 miles south, up to 2"); Peck (9 miles southwest, up to 2.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 20 Wichita 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
8 reports filed with the NWS
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.
Hail reports
8 reports Hail size 1.75"
Derby Sedgwick County
“Golf ball sized hail sent via mPING. (ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
2 WNW Rose Hill Sedgwick County
“(ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.25"
1 E Bel Aire Sedgwick County
“Half dollar hail via mPING. (ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
2 WNW Benton Butler County
“(ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
Wichita Eisenhower Airp Sedgwick County
“Mostly pea to penny sized hail with a couple of quarter sized pieces. (ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1"
4 SSE Maize Sedgwick County
“(ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail size 1.5"
Valley Center Sedgwick County
“(ICT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
How the storm moved
Timing and place names from NOAA ground reports
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
The storm tracked southeast at roughly 10 mph, based on the timing of ground reports.
Hail was reported over 115 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Derby, Rose Hill, Bel Aire, Benton, Wichita Eisenhower Airp, and Maize — beyond Wichita itself.
Severe hail signal
What 2.25" hail means for Wichita roofs.
Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
41,696 homes × $12,000 avg. claim
Potential roof exposure
$500M
Potential roof exposure — 41,696 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 208 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$3.1M
Close just 0.5% of the 41,696 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 $8,756 on top of the $150 plan.
Wichita hail history
Other storms in Wichita.
20 recorded storm days in Wichita, KS
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Aug 26, 2026
1.25" Estimated 1.25"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Aug 20, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Aug 6, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jul 10, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 25, 2026
2.5" Signatures 2.5" Estimated 1.25"
2 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 21, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 20, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 18, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 17, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 13, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
3 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Jun 4, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
May 30, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1.25"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
May 18, 2026
1" Estimated 1"
4 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
May 4, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1.25"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Apr 25, 2026
2.5" Signatures 2.5" Estimated 1"
10 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Apr 23, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1"
2 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Apr 3, 2026
2" Signatures 2" Estimated 0.75"
1 ground report Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Mar 10, 2026
1" Estimated 1"
7 ground reports Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Wichita / KS
Mar 3, 2026
1" Signatures 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
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A storm day here is a convective day — it runs from noon to noon
UTC, so late-night hail is grouped with the afternoon storm that
spawned it rather than split across two calendar dates. Ground
reports are public-domain observations from the NOAA Storm
Prediction Center. Radar tells you where to look. Only an inspection confirms damage at an address. Last updated Aug 27, 2026.