NEXRAD logged 77 hail signatures up to 2.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.5" aloft. At 2.5" — baseball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
A tornado was also reported to the National Weather Service during this storm. The ground reports below show where it was filed.
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Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
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
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.
Radar signature field 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.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
The storm in context
This was Auburn's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 9 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 (8 miles west, up to 2.5"); Brownville (8 miles east, up to 2.5"); Brock (9 miles northwest, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 9 Auburn 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
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
Storm forensics
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Hail was reported over 22 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Johnson — beyond Auburn itself.
Severe hail signal
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
Potential roof exposure
$23M
Potential roof exposure — 1,900 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Close just 0.5% of the 1,900 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
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 $399 on top of the $150 plan.
Auburn hail history
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Estimated-size surface Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.