Hail in Lead · Jul 18, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Lead that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 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.
- Peak hail signal
- 19 /100
- Homes exposed
- 66 /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
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.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated hail size over the swath. The model reports the biggest stone the storm could sustain in the air; what actually fell may have been smaller.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Jul 18, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Lead, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Jul 18, 2026 sits in Lead's hail record.
This was Lead's 11th recorded hail day, arriving 8 days after the Jul 10, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 14 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Lead at 0.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Lead: the same system put hail over 377 other tracked cities, 2 of them in South Dakota. Nearest: Hulett (56 miles northwest, up to 0.5"); Moorcroft (67 miles northwest, up to 0.75"); New England (171 miles north, up to 0.75").
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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Lead 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.
Near the severe threshold
What 0.75" hail means for Lead roofs.
A signal this size sits near the National Weather Service severe threshold. Aging shingles and soft metals such as vents, flashing, and gutters may be more vulnerable; roof age, wind, and material condition all matter, and only an inspection can confirm damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$23M
Potential roof exposure — 1,954 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 10 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$150K
Close just 0.5% of the 1,954 homes in this footprint at the average $15,000 roof job. Illustrative math, not a projection — your results depend on your outreach and how the market responds.
Claim window
July 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around July 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 $410 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 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"
Estimated-size surface May 29, 2026
1.5"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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