Hail in Lake Charles May 1, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 1.75", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
1.75"
≈ golf ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature0
0
none filedThe 7th most severe storm Lake Charles has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Hail size
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 0 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Lake Charles saw the hail — from two instruments
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.
Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
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.
Where May 1, 2026 sits in Lake Charles's hail record
This was Lake Charles's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 7th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Lake Charles at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 1, 2026 convective day was bigger than Lake Charles: the same system put hail over 50 other tracked cities, 2 of them in Louisiana. Nearest: Hackberry (21 miles southwest, up to 2"); Beasley (172 miles west, up to 0.75"); Boling (176 miles west, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills from Lake Charles's May 1, 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.
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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Lake Charles for this date, which says more about who was watching than about the storm: spotter reports only exist where there is an observer. The radar surfaces above carry the evidence for this one.
What 1.75" hail means for Lake Charles roofs
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.
Track hail over Lake Charles on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Lake Charles storm history — this May 1, 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
7 recorded storm days in Lake Charles, LA
Other storms in Lake Charles
Jul 8, 2026
1"
Jul 7, 2026
1.75"
Jul 5, 2026
2"
Jul 4, 2026
1"
Jul 1, 2026
1.75"
May 23, 2026
1"