Hail in Helena · May 28, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; 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 28, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 5th most severe storm Helena 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 40 /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 Helena saw the hail — from two instruments
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 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.
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.
The storm in context
Where May 28, 2026 sits in Helena's hail record.
This was Helena's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 5th of the 6 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Helena at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 28, 2026 convective day was bigger than Helena: the same system put hail over 198 other tracked cities, 43 of them in Montana. Nearest: Elliston (21 miles southwest, up to 1"); Avon (22 miles southwest, up to 1"); Clancy (28 miles south, up to 1").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 6 Helena 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Helena. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Helena roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$1.2M
Potential roof exposure — 96 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 $20 on top of the $150 plan.
Helena hail history
Other storms in Helena.
Estimated-size surface Sep 6, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 25, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface May 29, 2026
1.25"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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