Hail in Lead · May 29, 2026
Convective day · May 29, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 4th most severe storm Lead 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
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 19 /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 Lead saw the hail — from two instruments
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
Radar signature field NEXRAD's hail signatures for this storm: the spots the radar detected from above. A detection overhead is not the same thing as a confirmed stone below.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
The storm in context
Where May 29, 2026 sits in Lead's hail record.
This was Lead's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 4th of the 14 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Lead at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The May 29, 2026 convective day was bigger than Lead: the same system put hail over 350 other tracked cities. Nearest: Newcastle (57 miles southwest, up to 0.5"); Moorcroft (67 miles northwest, up to 1"); Rozet (72 miles west, up to 1").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 14 Lead 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 Lead. 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.
High damage potential
What 1.5" hail means for Lead 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
$96K
Potential roof exposure — 8 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $2 on top of the $150 plan.
Estimated-size surface Aug 23, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Aug 16, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Aug 11, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 18, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 10, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 8, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 7, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
3"
Estimated-size surface Jun 26, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 20, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jun 6, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 4, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface May 30, 2026
1.25"The next storm won’t wait for you.
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