/ Storm field report · Bedford

Hail in Big Island · May 27, 2026

NEXRAD logged 18 hail signatures up to 2"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft. At 2" — tennis ball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.

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Peak hail signal 2" ≈ tennis ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature
Homes in the hail footprint 713
Ground reports 0 none filed
Radar surfaces 2 NEXRAD + estimated size

Convective day · May 27, 2026 · noon–noon UTC

Severity

The most severe storm Big Island has seen in the last 12 months

Composite score · 4.4 / 10
Storm severity score

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

4.4 /10
Peak hail signal
50 /100

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

Homes exposed
57 /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 Big Island saw the hail — from two instruments

May 27, 2026 · Big Island, VA

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.

NEXRAD radar signatures Surface resolved
NEXRAD radar-signature map of the hail storm over Big Island, VA on May 27, 2026 Radar signature field

Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.

Max size 2" Detections 18
Radar-estimated hail size Surface resolved
Radar-estimated hail-size map of the storm over Big Island, VA on May 27, 2026 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.

Max size 0.75"

The storm in context

Where May 27, 2026 sits in Big Island's hail record.

This was Big Island's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 56 days after the Apr 1, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 3 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Big Island at 2" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.

The May 27, 2026 convective day was bigger than Big Island: the same system put hail over 172 other tracked cities, 41 of them in Virginia. Nearest: Coleman Falls (9 miles southeast, up to 2.25"); Goode (14 miles south, up to 1.25"); Madison Heights (15 miles southeast, up to 3").

These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 3 Big Island 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.

Nobody on the ground filed a report over Big Island 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.

Severe hail signal

What 2" hail means for Big Island roofs.

Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.

Radar reading · not confirmed damage

Roofing exposure

What this storm is worth to a roofer.

713 homes × $12,000 avg. claim

Potential roof exposure

$8.6M

Potential roof exposure — 713 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.

Illustrative jobs
4 jobs
Illustrative work
~$60K

Close just 0.5% of the 713 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 $150 on top of the $150 plan.

Big Island hail history

3 recorded storm days in Big Island, VA

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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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 3, 2026.