Hail size 1"
2 NW Okabena Jackson County
“In addition to hail up to the size of quarters... winds gusted up about 40 mph and a quick heavy rain occurred. No damage was noticed. (FSD)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
/ Storm field report · Jackson
Hail in Heron Lake · May 17, 2026
NEXRAD logged 3 hail signatures up to 2"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.5" aloft. At 2" — 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" ≈ tennis ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 39
Ground reports 1 1 hail
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size
Convective day · May 17, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Heron Lake has seen in the last 12 months
Composite score · 4.1 / 10
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
4.1 /10
- Peak hail signal
- 50 /100
- Homes exposed
- 32 /100
- Ground truth
- 17 /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 Heron Lake saw the hail — from two instruments
May 17, 2026 · Heron Lake, MN
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
NEXRAD radar signatures Surface resolved
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Max size
2"
Detections
3
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
Max size
1.5"
The storm in context
Where May 17, 2026 sits in Heron Lake's hail record.
This was Heron Lake's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 34 days after the Apr 13, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 8 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Heron Lake at 2" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 17, 2026 convective day was bigger than Heron Lake: the same system put hail over 894 other tracked cities, 91 of them in Minnesota. Nearest: Brewster (9 miles southwest, up to 2.25"); Okabena (9 miles southeast, up to 2.25"); Lakefield (14 miles southeast, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 8 Heron Lake 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 reportStorm 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.
Reports came from Okabena — beyond Heron Lake itself.
Severe hail signal
What 2" hail means for Heron Lake 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.
39 homes × $12,000 avg. claim
Potential roof exposure
$468K
Potential roof exposure — 39 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $8 on top of the $150 plan.
Heron Lake hail history
Other storms in Heron Lake.
8 recorded storm days in Heron Lake, MN
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Sep 1, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Jul 2, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Jun 30, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Jun 29, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Jun 27, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Jun 23, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Heron Lake / MN
Apr 13, 2026
1.75" Signatures 1.75" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
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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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 2, 2026.