Hail in Helena · Apr 26, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 1"; the estimated-size surface reached 0" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 26, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 9th most severe storm Helena 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
- 25 /100
- Homes exposed
- 0 /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 Helena 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.
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
Where Apr 26, 2026 sits in Helena's hail record.
This was Helena's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 9 days after the Apr 17, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 9th of the 11 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Helena at 1" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 26, 2026 convective day was bigger than Helena: the same system put hail over 710 other tracked cities, 28 of them in Oklahoma. Nearest: Goltry (9 miles southeast, up to 0"); Nash (12 miles east, up to 0"); Ringwood (14 miles south, up to 1").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 11 Helena 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Helena. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
Damage-capable hail signal
What 1" hail means for Helena roofs.
Quarter-size and larger hail can bruise asphalt mats, remove granules, and dent exposed soft metal. The mapped footprint identifies an inspection priority area — it does not identify which individual roofs, if any, sustained damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Helena hail history
Other storms in Helena.
Estimated-size surface Jul 4, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 26, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 21, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jun 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 1, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface May 29, 2026
1"
NEXRAD surface May 9, 2026
Estimated-size surface Apr 17, 2026
4"
Estimated-size surface Mar 5, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface Mar 3, 2026
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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