Hail in Elmira May 18, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 2.25", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.75" aloft. At 2.25" — tennis ball — this is severe, roof-replacing hail: close to every roof inside the footprint becomes a claim candidate.
2.25"
≈ tennis ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature18
0
none filedThe most severe storm Elmira 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
- 56 /100
- Homes exposed
- 26 /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 Elmira saw the hail — from two instruments
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 — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Elmira's hail record
This was Elmira's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 1st of the 3 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Elmira at 2.25" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Elmira: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 48 of them in Michigan. Nearest: Gaylord (14 miles southeast, up to 2.25"); Vanderbilt (15 miles east, up to 2.25"); Mancelona (17 miles southwest, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills from Elmira's May 18, 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.
For this storm over Elmira, the NWS report log is empty — a common outcome, since ground reports only happen when someone witnesses the hail and takes the time to call it in. The detection record for the date lives in the radar maps above.
What 2.25" hail means for Elmira roofs
Two-inch-plus hail punctures shingles, breaks skylights and windows, and dents anything soft. In the core of a footprint like this, close to every roof is a candidate for an insurance claim. Speed decides who writes those jobs.
$216K
Potential roof exposure — 18 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Elmira on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Elmira storm history — this May 18, 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
3 recorded storm days in Elmira, MI
