Hail in San Diego · May 18, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over San Diego that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · May 18, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 2nd most severe storm San Diego 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
- 31 /100
- Homes exposed
- 68 /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 San Diego saw the hail — from two instruments
The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.
Estimated size field The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for May 18, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over San Diego, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where May 18, 2026 sits in San Diego's hail record.
This was San Diego's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 93 days after the Feb 14, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over San Diego at 1.25" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The May 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than San Diego: the same system put hail over 726 other tracked cities, 20 of them in Texas. Nearest: Bruni (10 miles west, up to 1.25"); Oilton (24 miles northwest, up to 1"); Freer (28 miles north, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 San Diego 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 San Diego. 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.
Damage-capable hail signal
What 1.25" hail means for San Diego roofs.
Quarter-size and larger hail can bruise asphalt mats, remove granules, and dent exposed soft metal. The mapped footprint identifies an inspection priority area — it does not identify which individual roofs, if any, sustained damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$31M
Potential roof exposure — 2,618 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 13 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$195K
Close just 0.5% of the 2,618 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
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 $550 on top of the $150 plan.
San Diego hail history
Other storms in San Diego.
Estimated-size surface Sep 5, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Sep 3, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 7, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface May 26, 2026
2.5"
Estimated-size surface May 23, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Feb 14, 2026
0.5"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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