How big was the hail on May 15, 2026?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in the country that day was 1.00 inches, over Mason City, 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 15, 2026

Hail map — May 15, 2026

Name: US hail map — May 15, 2026
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 2 cities across 2 states on May 15, 2026. The largest stones — 1.00″, quarter size — fell over Mason City, IA.

Hail swath map for Mason City, IA on May 15, 2026 showing 1.00 inch hail. — Largest rendered swath of the day: Mason City, IA — 1.00″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

States hit: 2
Cities hit: 2
Largest stone: 1.00″; quarter size
Impact rating: 3/10; 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

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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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States hit on May 15, 2026

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

Iowa1 city · 1.00″Nebraska1 city · 1.00″

Hardest hit on May 15, 2026

Mason City, IA1.00″ · quarter Fremont, NE1.00″ · quarter

What people on the ground measured in the US on May 15, 2026

15 reports filed with the National Weather Service — 4 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.

2.50″ hen egg size Public
Kanawha, IA7:22 PM CDTHancock County
Hail ranged from 2.25 to 2.5. Time estimated by radar.
2.50″ hen egg size Public
Goodell, IA7:45 PM CDTHancock County
Time estimated by radar.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
Anthon, IA6:22 PM CDTWoodbury County
2 inch hail was reported via social media along with damage to lights fixtures and trees.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
Kanawha, IA7:25 PM CDTHancock County
Windows broken on car. Time estimated by radar.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
3 S Woden, IA7:34 PM CDTHancock County
Report from mPING.
2.00″ hen egg size Trained Spotter
2 WNW Meservey, IA8:05 PM CDTHancock County
Corrects previous hail report from 2 WNW Meservey. Updated to included windows on house broken.
1.75″ golf ball size Emergency Mngr
Ringsted, IA6:03 PM CDTEmmet County
1.75″ golf ball size Law Enforcement
Bancroft, IA6:24 PM CDTKossuth County
1.75″ golf ball size Public
4 NW Thornton, IA8:39 PM CDTCerro Gordo County
1.50″ half dollar size Trained Spotter
5 SSE Holstein, IA7:57 PM CDTIda County
Spotter reported ping pong ball size hail.
1.50″ half dollar size Trained Spotter
2 WNW Meservey, IA8:05 PM CDTHancock County
1.50″ half dollar size Public
Garner, IA8:18 PM CDTHancock County
Report from mPING: Ping Pong Ball (1.50 in.).
1.50″ half dollar size Public
4 S Humboldt, IA8:45 PM CDTHumboldt County
Report from mPING.
1.25″ half dollar size Public
2 NNW Greenville, IA7:30 PM CDTClay County
Report from social media.
1.25″ half dollar size Public
6 N Battle Creek, IA7:48 PM CDTIda County
Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).

Showing the 15 largest of 53 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 15, 2026

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 2 cities across 2 states on May 15, 2026. The largest stones — 1.00 inches, quarter size — were over Mason City, IA. Every state hit is listed on this page, and every city under it.

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