Hail in Wells May 18, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 1 hail signature up to 0.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
0.5"
≈ pea to penny · radar-estimated size aloft28
0
none filedThe 11th most severe storm Wells 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 29 /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 Wells 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 18, 2026 sits in Wells's hail record
This was Wells's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 11th of the 12 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Wells at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Wells: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 10 of them in Minnesota. Nearest: Delavan (10 miles west, up to 0.5"); Blue Earth (17 miles southwest, up to 1.25"); Granada (25 miles west, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills from Wells'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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Wells. That absence is ordinary — filing a report takes a person on the spot who saw the hail and phoned it in. What stands as the record for this date is the radar above, which caught the storm regardless.
What 0.5" hail means for Wells roofs
Hail under three-quarters of an inch stays below the National Weather Service severe threshold and rarely breaks shingles outright. But repeated small-hail events accelerate granule loss and shorten roof life — on older roofs, it's still worth a conversation.
$336K
Potential roof exposure — 28 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Wells on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Wells 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
12 recorded storm days in Wells, MN
Other storms in Wells
Jul 8, 2026
1.75"
Jul 4, 2026
1.75"
Jul 2, 2026
1.5"
Jun 30, 2026
2.5"
Jun 29, 2026
2.5"
Jun 28, 2026
0.75"
Jun 9, 2026
0.5"
May 17, 2026
Apr 23, 2026
0.75"
Apr 13, 2026
1"
Apr 11, 2026
1"