Hail size 2"
3 SW Elm Lake McPherson County
“Photo sent via Facebook messenger of hail slightly larger than golf balls 13 miles northeast of Leola. Time estimated by radar. (ABR)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
/ Storm field report · Dickey
Hail in Forbes · Jul 24, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 4"; the estimated-size surface reached 2.25" aloft. At 4" — softball or larger — 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 4" ≈ softball or larger · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 773
Ground reports 2 2 hail
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size
Convective day · Jul 24, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm Forbes has seen in the last 12 months
Composite score · 7.9 / 10
Storm severity score
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
7.9 /10
- Peak hail signal
- 100 /100
- Homes exposed
- 58 /100
- Ground truth
- 33 /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 Forbes saw the hail — from two instruments
Jul 24, 2026 · Forbes, ND
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.
NEXRAD radar signatures Surface resolved
Radar signature field Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
Max size
4"
Detections
0
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Estimated size field 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.
Max size
2.25"
The storm in context
Where Jul 24, 2026 sits in Forbes's hail record.
This was Forbes's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 15 days after the Jul 9, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 10 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Forbes at 4" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 24, 2026 convective day was bigger than Forbes: the same system put hail over 221 other tracked cities, 69 of them in North Dakota. Nearest: Ellendale (12 miles east, up to 1"); Edgeley (21 miles north, up to 1"); Fredonia (22 miles northwest, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 10 Forbes 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
2 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.
Hail reports
2 reports Hail size 3"
Forbes Dickey County
“[Delayed report] Public reports 3 inch diameter falling in Forbes for approximately 8 minutes. Also reports widespread damage... such as broken windows. Report relayed (BIS)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm 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.
Hail was reported over 77 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Elm Lake — beyond Forbes itself.
Severe hail signal
What 4" hail means for Forbes 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.
773 homes × $12,000 avg. claim
Potential roof exposure
$9.3M
Potential roof exposure — 773 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 4 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$60K
Close just 0.5% of the 773 homes in this footprint at the average $15,000 roof job. Illustrative math, not a projection — your results depend on your outreach and how the market responds.
Claim window
July 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around July 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 $162 on top of the $150 plan.
Forbes hail history
Other storms in Forbes.
10 recorded storm days in Forbes, ND
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Aug 24, 2026
0.75" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Aug 11, 2026
1" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Aug 2, 2026
0.5" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jul 30, 2026
1.25" Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jul 9, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
NEXRAD surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jul 7, 2026
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jun 27, 2026
1" Signatures 1" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jun 9, 2026
1" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Estimated-size surface Storm date Forbes / ND
Jun 3, 2026
1" Signatures 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
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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 Aug 25, 2026.