/ Storm field report · Stillwater

Hail in Columbus · Sep 6, 2026

Hit 6 days ago

The estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Columbus that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.

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Peak hail signal 0.75" ≈ penny to nickel · radar-estimated size aloft
Homes in the hail footprint 51
Ground reports 0 none filed
Radar surfaces 1 Estimated size only

Convective day · Sep 6, 2026 · noon–noon UTC

Severity

The 4th most severe storm Columbus has seen in the last 12 months

Composite score · 2.0 / 10
Storm severity score

Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.

2.0 /10
Peak hail signal
19 /100

Largest radar-indicated size — a signal of damage potential, not confirmation.

Homes exposed
34 /100

How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.

Ground truth
0 /100

Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.

Evidence / storm surfaces

How Columbus saw the hail — from two instruments

Sep 6, 2026 · Columbus, MT

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.

Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Columbus, MT on Sep 6, 2026 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 0.75"

Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Sep 6, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Columbus, so there is one map to show, not two.

The storm in context

Where Sep 6, 2026 sits in Columbus's hail record.

This was Columbus's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 42 days after the Jul 26, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 4th of the 6 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Columbus at 0.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.

The Sep 6, 2026 convective day was bigger than Columbus: the same system put hail over 608 other tracked cities, 49 of them in Montana. Nearest: Reed Point (18 miles west, up to 0.5"); Billings (36 miles east, up to 2.25"); Broadview (42 miles northeast, up to 0.5").

These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 6 Columbus 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

No reports 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.

For this storm over Columbus, 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.

Near the severe threshold

What 0.75" hail means for Columbus roofs.

A signal this size sits near the National Weather Service severe threshold. Aging shingles and soft metals such as vents, flashing, and gutters may be more vulnerable; roof age, wind, and material condition all matter, and only an inspection can confirm damage.

Radar reading · not confirmed damage

Roofing exposure

What this storm is worth to a roofer.

51 homes × $12,000 avg. claim

Potential roof exposure

$612K

Potential roof exposure — 51 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.

Claim window

September 2028

Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around September 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 $11 on top of the $150 plan.

Columbus hail history

6 recorded storm days in Columbus, MT

Take your next area into the field.

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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 7, 2026.