/ Storm field report · Lawrence

Hail in Lead · May 29, 2026

NEXRAD logged 7 hail signatures up to 1.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 1" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.

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Peak hail signal 1.5" ≈ ping-pong ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 8
Ground reports 0 none filed
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size

Convective day · May 29, 2026 · noon–noon UTC

Severity

The 4th most severe storm Lead has seen in the last 12 months

Composite score · 2.7 / 10
Storm severity score

Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.

2.7 /10
Peak hail signal
38 /100

Largest radar-indicated size — a signal of damage potential, not confirmation.

Homes exposed
19 /100

How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.

Ground truth
0 /100

Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.

Evidence / storm surfaces

How Lead saw the hail — from two instruments

May 29, 2026 · Lead, SD

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 radar signatures Surface resolved
NEXRAD radar-signature map of the hail storm over Lead, SD on May 29, 2026 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.

Max size 1.5" Detections 7
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on May 29, 2026 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.

Max size 1"

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

No reports filed with the NWS

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.

8 homes × $12,000 avg. claim

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.

Lead hail history

14 recorded storm days in Lead, SD
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Aug 23, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Aug 23, 2026

1"
Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Aug 16, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Aug 16, 2026

0.5"
Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Aug 11, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Aug 11, 2026

1.5"
Estimated 1.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jul 18, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jul 18, 2026

0.75"
Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jul 10, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jul 10, 2026

1"
Signatures 1" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jul 8, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jul 8, 2026

1.25"
Signatures 1.25" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jul 7, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jul 7, 2026

1"
Signatures 1" Estimated 0.75"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jul 3, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jul 3, 2026

3"
Signatures 3" Estimated 2.25"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jun 26, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jun 26, 2026

0.5"
Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jun 20, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jun 20, 2026

0.5"
Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jun 6, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jun 6, 2026

1"
Signatures 1" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on Jun 4, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

Jun 4, 2026

0.75"
Signatures 0.75" Estimated 0.5"
No ground reports filed Open report →
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Lead, SD on May 30, 2026 Estimated-size surface
Storm date Lead / SD

May 30, 2026

1.25"
Signatures 1.25" Estimated 1"
No ground reports filed Open report →

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A storm day here is a convective day — it runs from noon to noon UTC, so late-night hail is grouped with the afternoon storm that spawned it rather than split across two calendar dates. Ground reports are public-domain observations from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Radar tells you where to look. Only an inspection confirms damage at an address. Last updated Aug 24, 2026.