Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 77 hail signatures up to 2.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 1.5" aloft. At 2.5" — baseball — this is severe, roof-replacing hail: close to every roof inside the footprint becomes a claim candidate.
A tornado was also reported to the National Weather Service during this storm — see the ground reports below.
2.5"
≈ baseball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature1,900
4
1 hail · 2 wind · 1 tornadoOverview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
This was Auburn's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 6 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Auburn at 2.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Auburn: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 121 of them in Nebraska. Nearest: Johnson (6 miles northwest, up to 2.5"); Humboldt (10 miles south, up to 2.5"); Brock (11 miles north, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills from Auburn'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.
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.
“A tornado developed just south of Highway 136 and west of 636 Avenue... and moved east northeast to the area near Highway 136 and just east of 637 Avenue. This tornado (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Delayed report received via social media of hail estimated up to golf ball sized in Auburn... NE. Timed estimated with radar. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Personal weather station gusted to 62 mph. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 5 SSW Johnson. Personal Weather Station. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail was reported over 22 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Johnson — beyond Auburn itself.
Two-inch-plus hail punctures shingles, breaks skylights and windows, and dents anything soft. In the core of a footprint like this, close to every roof is a candidate for an insurance claim. Speed decides who writes those jobs.
$23M
Potential roof exposure — 1,900 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Auburn 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
6 recorded storm days in Auburn, NE
Jul 3, 2026
1"
May 17, 2026
1.25"
Apr 23, 2026
2.25"
Apr 3, 2026
1"
Mar 5, 2026
1"