How big was the hail on May 21, 2024?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in the country that day was 2.00 inches, over Council Bluffs, IA. Sizes vary street to street inside a single swath, so a city's figure is the largest radar estimated anywhere within about 5 miles of it.

Where does this hail data come from?

NOAA MRMS radar, specifically the Maximum Estimated Size of Hail product, ingested directly from the public NOAA archive. It runs about a quarter of an inch against ground truth, which makes it good for deciding where to look and not a substitute for an inspection.

Does this mean roofs were damaged?

Radar measures stone size, not damage. Whether a particular roof was damaged depends on stone size, wind direction, roof age and material — only an inspection settles it. These figures tell you where it is worth looking.

How do I see the actual swath on a map?

A HailMate plan puts a whole state on a real interactive map, with this swath and three years of others already on it. From $79/mo, and the canvassing tools come with it.

United States · May 21, 2024

Hail map — May 21, 2024

Name: US hail map — May 21, 2024
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 26 cities across 6 states on May 21, 2024. The largest stones — 2.00″, hen egg size — fell over Council Bluffs, IA.

Hail swath map for Council Bluffs, IA on May 21, 2024 showing 2.00 inch hail. — Largest rendered swath of the day: Council Bluffs, IA — 2.00″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

States hit: 6
Cities hit: 26
Largest stone: 2.00″; hen egg size
Impact rating: 7/10; from stone size

Sizes come from NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), which runs about ±0.25″ against ground truth. It is canvass-targeting quality, not claim evidence.

Roofing contractors

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Three years of hail swaths, filterable by stone size
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Homeowners

Did hail hit your address?

This page covers your area as a whole. Check your own address to see every storm on record for your roof — the date and the stone size for each one — and we'll email you the full report to keep.

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Free, and no account needed to look it up. If hail did hit, you can ask for a free inspection from a vetted local roofer.

States hit on May 21, 2024

Every state where NOAA radar put an inch or more of hail over a city that day, biggest stone first.

Oklahoma6 cities · 2.00″Iowa3 cities · 2.00″Nebraska3 cities · 1.50″Florida11 cities · 1.50″Kansas2 cities · 1.00″New York1 city · 1.00″

Hardest hit on May 21, 2024

Showing the 24 largest of 26 cities hit. The rest are under their state above.

What people on the ground measured in the US on May 21, 2024

15 reports filed with the National Weather Service — 5 from trained spotters or officials. These are measured stones, not radar estimates, so they are the closest thing to proof that hail actually reached the ground.

3.00″ baseball size NWS Employee
3 SSW Broken Arrow, OK5:55 PM CDTTulsa County
Corrects previous hail report from 3 SSW Broken Arrow.
3.00″ baseball size Storm Chaser
Santa Anna, TX8:01 PM CDTColeman County
A storm chaser reported 3 inch diameter hail in Santa Anna. Also, the very large hail caused some damage.
2.75″ baseball size NWS Employee
3 SSW Broken Arrow, OK5:55 PM CDTTulsa County
2.50″ hen egg size Public
Palisade, NE1:17 AM CDTHitchcock County
Report and photo via social media of hail estimated from photo to be around the size of a tennis ball. Hail was reported to have varied in size.
2.50″ hen egg size Trained Spotter
3 SSW Nehawka, NE1:38 PM CDTCass County
Emergency Manager relayed a report from a trained spotter of tennis ball sized hail at 67th and A street.
2.50″ hen egg size NWS Employee
2.2 SW Broken Arrow, OK5:50 PM CDTTulsa County
101st and Aspen Ave.
2.50″ hen egg size Storm Chaser
Bangs, TX8:23 PM CDTBrown County
A storm chaser reported tennis ball size hail in Bangs.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
Palisade, NE1:15 AM CDTHitchcock County
Public report and photo via social media of hail in Palisade; sizes estimated from photo ranging from approx. half dollar size to around 2 inches in diameter. Time estimated from radar.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
2 SSE Pella, IA11:20 AM CDTMarion County
via social media.
2.00″ hen egg size CO-OP Observer
2 S Pella, IA11:20 AM CDTMarion County
2.00″ hen egg size Amateur Radio
2 NW Fremont, NE12:35 PM CDTDodge County
north of the Fremont airport. delayed report.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
5 NE Otoe, NE1:30 PM CDTOtoe County
Social Media.
2.00″ hen egg size NWS Employee
2 ESE Sapulpa, OK5:35 PM CDTCreek County
2.00″ hen egg size Public
2 NE Sapulpa, OK5:37 PM CDTCreek County
Report from mPING: Hen Egg (2.00 in.).
2.00″ hen egg size Public
3 N Bixby, OK5:55 PM CDTTulsa County

Showing the 15 largest of 246 hail reports filed that day.

Reports come from the National Weather Service Local Storm Report feed, ingested every 15 minutes. A report records where the observer was, not the full extent of the swath — treat it as evidence about the storm, not about any one roof.

Other hail days

August 19, 202620 cities · 2.00″August 18, 20266 cities · 1.50″August 17, 20266 cities · 1.00″August 16, 202610 cities · 1.50″August 15, 20268 cities · 1.50″August 14, 202611 cities · 2.00″August 13, 202616 cities · 2.00″August 12, 202610 cities · 1.50″August 11, 202633 cities · 2.00″August 10, 202623 cities · 1.50″August 9, 202649 cities · 1.50″August 8, 20265 cities · 1.50″

Every state with hail on record →

FAQ

US hail on May 21, 2024

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 26 cities across 6 states on May 21, 2024. The largest stones — 2.00 inches, hen egg size — were over Council Bluffs, IA. Every state hit is listed on this page, and every city under it.

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