Hail in Columbia · Jul 18, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Columbia 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 Columbia 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
- 13 /100
- Homes exposed
- 14 /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 Columbia 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 Columbia, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
Where Jul 18, 2026 sits in Columbia's hail record.
This was Columbia's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 3rd of the 3 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Columbia at 0.5" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 18, 2026 convective day was bigger than Columbia: the same system put hail over 377 other tracked cities, 37 of them in Virginia. Nearest: Fork Union (5 miles west, up to 0.5"); Kents Store (7 miles north, up to 0.5"); Arvonia (18 miles southwest, up to 0.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 3 Columbia 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 Columbia 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.
Below the severe threshold
What 0.5" hail means for Columbia roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$48K
Potential roof exposure — 4 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
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 $1 on top of the $150 plan.
Columbia hail history
Other storms in Columbia.
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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Web trial: 7 days free. Card required. $150/month after the trial unless cancelled.