Hail in Des Moines · Jul 31, 2026
NEXRAD logged 19 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.
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Convective day · Jul 31, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm Des Moines 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
- 12 /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 Des Moines saw the hail — from two instruments
Each storm gets two readings: the radar signatures NEXRAD recorded as the cells passed overhead, and a modeled estimate of hail size in the air. They are independent surfaces, so a mismatch between them is expected — and worth reading.
Radar signature field The point detections NEXRAD recorded overhead. Each signature marks where the radar saw hail aloft — it is a detection, not a stone measured on the ground.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated hail size over the swath. The model reports the biggest stone the storm could sustain in the air; what actually fell may have been smaller.
The storm in context
Where Jul 31, 2026 sits in Des Moines's hail record.
This was Des Moines's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Jul 30, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 6 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Des Moines at 1.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 31, 2026 convective day was bigger than Des Moines: the same system put hail over 238 other tracked cities, 23 of them in New Mexico. Nearest: Raton (39 miles west, up to 1.25"); Trinidad (41 miles northwest, up to 0.75"); Roy (54 miles south, up to 1.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 6 Des Moines 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 Des Moines. 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 Des Moines 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
$36K
Potential roof exposure — 3 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $1 on top of the $150 plan.
Des Moines hail history
Other storms in Des Moines.
Estimated-size surface Jul 30, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 9, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 5, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 25, 2026
4"
NEXRAD surface Jun 5, 2026
1"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.
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