/ Storm field report · Shelby

Hail in Louisville · May 16, 2026

NEXRAD logged 57 hail signatures up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.

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Peak hail signal 1.75" ≈ golf ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature

Homes in the hail footprint 65,525

Ground reports 1 1 hail

Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size

Convective day · May 16, 2026 · noon–noon UTC

Severity

The most severe storm Louisville has seen in the last 12 months

Composite score · 5.3 / 10

Storm severity score

Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.

5.3 /10

Peak hail signal: 44 /100
Homes exposed: 96 /100
Ground truth: 17 /100

Evidence / storm surfaces

How Louisville saw the hail — from two instruments

May 16, 2026 · Louisville, KY

The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.

NEXRAD radar-signature map of the hail storm over Louisville, KY on May 16, 2026 — Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.

Max size 1.75" Detections 57

Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Louisville, KY on May 16, 2026 — The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.

Max size 1"

The storm in context

Where May 16, 2026 sits in Louisville's hail record.

This was Louisville's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 13 days after the May 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 15 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Louisville at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.

The May 16, 2026 convective day was bigger than Louisville: the same system put hail over 711 other tracked cities, 33 of them in Kentucky. Nearest: La Grange (7 miles north, up to 1.5"); Crestwood (9 miles northwest, up to 1.5"); Smithfield (9 miles northeast, up to 1.5").

These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 15 Louisville 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

1 report 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

1 report

Hail size 1"

Louisville Jefferson County

10:15 PM UTC

“Quarter size hail reported throughout downtown Louisville. (LMK)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report

High damage potential

What 1.75" hail means for Louisville roofs.

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

What this storm is worth to a roofer.

65,525 homes × $12,000 avg. claim

Potential roof exposure

$786M

Potential roof exposure — 65,525 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.

Illustrative jobs: 328 jobs
Illustrative work: ~$4.9M

Close just 0.5% of the 65,525 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 $13,760 on top of the $150 plan.

Louisville hail history

15 recorded storm days in Louisville, KY

← All hail in Louisville

Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Louisville, KY on Sep 18, 2026

Estimated-size surface

Storm date Louisville / KY

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Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.

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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 Sep 19, 2026.

The most severe storm Louisville has seen in the last 12 months

How Louisville saw the hail — from two instruments

Where May 16, 2026 sits in Louisville's hail record.

What people on the ground reported

Hail reports

What 1.75" hail means for Louisville roofs.

What this storm is worth to a roofer.

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The next storm won’t wait for you.