NEXRAD logged 68 hail signatures up to 2.75"; the estimated-size surface reached 1.25" aloft. At 2.75" — baseball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
A tornado was also reported to the National Weather Service during this storm. The ground reports below show where it was filed.
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Convective day · Apr 17, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
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
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
Radar signature field NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
The storm in context
This was Milton's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 15 days after the Apr 2, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 4 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Milton at 2.75" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Apr 17, 2026 convective day was bigger than Milton: the same system put hail over 1,016 other tracked cities, 178 of them in Wisconsin. Nearest: Janesville (10 miles south, up to 2.75"); Fort Atkinson (10 miles northeast, up to 1"); Avalon (12 miles southeast, up to 2").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 4 Milton 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
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.
“NWS Damage Survey concludes an EF-1 tornado occurred with estimated peak winds of 100 mph. The tornado started southwest of Emerald Grove and moved northeastward... tak (MKX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Multiple reports of a tornado on the ground. (MKX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Corrects previous tornado report from 5 ENE Avalon. Snapped and uprooted trees... damage to houses... and sheet metal wrapped around trees near Emerald Grove. Time esti (MKX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Time estimated from radar. (MKX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“(MKX)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Hail was reported over 18 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Janesville and Avalon — beyond Milton itself.
Severe hail signal
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
Potential roof exposure
$218M
Potential roof exposure — 18,198 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Close just 0.5% of the 18,198 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
April 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around April 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 $3,822 on top of the $150 plan.
Milton hail history
Estimated-size surface 
Estimated-size surface 
Estimated-size surface 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.