Hail in Helena · May 9, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; the estimated-size surface had no signal that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 9, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 10th 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
- 0 /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
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.
Only the NEXRAD radar-signature surface resolved for May 9, 2026 — the estimated-size swath had no hail signal to model for this storm, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 9, 2026 sits in Helena's hail record.
This was Helena's 5th recorded hail day, arriving 13 days after the Apr 26, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 10th of the 11 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Helena at 0" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 9, 2026 convective day was bigger than Helena: the same system put hail over 268 other tracked cities, 106 of them in Oklahoma. Nearest: Fairview (30 miles southwest, up to 0"); Alva (32 miles west, up to 1"); Hennessey (36 miles south, up to 0").
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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Helena for this date, which says more about who was watching than about the storm: spotter reports only exist where there is an observer. The radar surfaces above carry the evidence for this one.
Below the severe threshold
What 0" hail means for Helena roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
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"
Estimated-size surface Apr 26, 2026
1"
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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