Hail in Lake Charles · May 1, 2026
NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 1, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 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.
- Peak hail signal
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 0 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /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 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.
Radar signature field Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
Estimated size field 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.
The storm in context
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 10 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 (11 miles south, up to 2"); Boling (166 miles west, up to 0.5"); Beasley (167 miles west, up to 0.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 10 Lake Charles 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
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.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Lake Charles 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
Lake Charles hail history
Other storms in Lake Charles.
Sep 8, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 28, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Aug 5, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 7, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 5, 2026
2"
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1.75"
Estimated-size surface May 23, 2026
1"The next storm won’t wait for you.
Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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