“Report of multi-vortex tornado east of Hwy 99 and Hwy 8. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Burchard May 18, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 59 hail signatures up to 2.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 1.25" 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 signature694
3
1 hail · 1 wind · 1 tornadoThe most severe storm Burchard has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Hail size
- 63 /100
- Homes exposed
- 57 /100
- Ground truth
- 67 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Burchard saw the hail — from two instruments
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.
Where May 18, 2026 sits in Burchard's hail record
This was Burchard's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the May 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Burchard at 2.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Burchard: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 121 of them in Nebraska. Nearest: Crab Orchard (7 miles north, up to 2.75"); Steinauer (8 miles east, up to 2.75"); Virginia (8 miles west, up to 2.5").
These maps are stills from Burchard'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.
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.
Tornado reports
1 reportHail reports
1 report“Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Wind reports
1 report“Caller reported an 81 mph wind gust measured from a personal weather station. Also reported 6 to 8 inch diameter tree limbs broken. (OAX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
How the storm moved
The storm tracked southeast at roughly 15 mph, based on the timing of ground reports.
Hail was reported over 58 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Lewiston and Pawnee City — beyond Burchard itself.
What 2.5" hail means for Burchard roofs
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.
$8.3M
Potential roof exposure — 694 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Burchard on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Burchard 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
7 recorded storm days in Burchard, NE
Other storms in Burchard
Jul 3, 2026
1.75"
Jun 6, 2026
1.5"
Jun 4, 2026
1"
May 17, 2026
1.25"
Apr 23, 2026
2"
Apr 14, 2026
0.5"