Hail in Norfolk · May 16, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.
Convective day · May 16, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 4th most severe storm Norfolk 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
- 44 /100
- Homes exposed
- 60 /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 Norfolk saw the hail — from two instruments
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.
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.
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.
The storm in context
Where May 16, 2026 sits in Norfolk's hail record.
This was Norfolk's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 4th of the 13 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Norfolk at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 16, 2026 convective day was bigger than Norfolk: the same system put hail over 711 other tracked cities, 201 of them in Nebraska. Nearest: Stanton (15 miles south, up to 1"); Randolph (15 miles north, up to 0"); Meadow Grove (21 miles southwest, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 13 Norfolk 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.
The National Weather Service logged no spotter reports for this storm over Norfolk. That absence is ordinary — filing a report takes a person on the spot who saw the hail and phoned it in. What stands as the record for this date is the radar above, which caught the storm regardless.
High damage potential
What 1.75" hail means for Norfolk roofs.
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$11M
Potential roof exposure — 955 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 5 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$75K
Close just 0.5% of the 955 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 $201 on top of the $150 plan.
Norfolk hail history
Other storms in Norfolk.
Estimated-size surface Sep 13, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 12, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 30, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 26, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 20, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
Estimated-size surface Jul 1, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 30, 2026
4"
Estimated-size surface Jun 29, 2026
4"
Estimated-size surface Jun 12, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 17, 2026
2.25"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.
7-day free trial in the iPhone app. No card required to start.
For iPhone. Android coming soon.
Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.