Hail in Lead May 29, 2026
Both radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 7 hail signatures up to 1.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 1" aloft.
1.5"
≈ ping-pong ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature8
0
none filedThe 3rd 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.
- Hail size
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 19 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
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.
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.
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.
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 3rd of the 11 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 (47 miles southwest, up to 0.5"); Moorcroft (59 miles northwest, up to 1"); Rozet (67 miles west, up to 1").
These maps are stills from Lead's May 29, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
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.
What 1.5" hail means for Lead roofs
At an inch and a half, hail cracks shingles, strips granules down to the mat, and dents gutters, vents, and siding. A footprint like this typically produces a wave of insurance claims — and the contractor who reaches the homeowner first usually gets the inspection.
$96K
Potential roof exposure — 8 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Lead on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Lead storm history — this May 29, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
11 recorded storm days in Lead, SD
Other storms in Lead
Jul 18, 2026
0.75"
Jul 10, 2026
1"
Jul 8, 2026
1.25"
Jul 7, 2026
1"
Jul 3, 2026
3"
Jun 26, 2026
0.5"
Jun 20, 2026
0.5"
Jun 6, 2026
1"
Jun 4, 2026
0.75"
May 30, 2026
1.25"