How big was the hail on May 17, 2026?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in the country that day was 1.50 inches, over Sioux Falls, SD. 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 17, 2026

Hail map — May 17, 2026

Name: US hail map — May 17, 2026
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 7 cities across 5 states on May 17, 2026. The largest stones — 1.50″, half dollar size — fell over Sioux Falls, SD.

Hail swath map for Sioux Falls, SD on May 17, 2026 showing 1.50 inch hail. — Largest rendered swath of the day: Sioux Falls, SD — 1.50″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

States hit: 5
Cities hit: 7
Largest stone: 1.50″; half dollar size
Impact rating: 5/10; 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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HailMate's canvassing map: hail swaths colour-banded by stone size, from yellow through red to purple, laid over a satellite view of a Texas territory, with hail swath and territory controls.

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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 17, 2026

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

South Dakota1 city · 1.50″Iowa1 city · 1.50″Michigan2 cities · 1.50″Florida1 city · 1.00″Nebraska2 cities · 1.00″

Hardest hit on May 17, 2026

Sioux Falls, SD1.50″ · half dollar Sioux City, IA1.50″ · half dollar Saginaw Township North, MI1.50″ · half dollar Bonita Springs, FL1.00″ · quarter Bay City, MI1.00″ · quarter Norfolk, NE1.00″ · quarter Columbus, NE1.00″ · quarter

What people on the ground measured in the US on May 17, 2026

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.

3.50″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
1 W Palmer, NE5:25 PM CDTMerrick County
3.00″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
Ashton, NE4:43 PM CDTSherman County
3.00″ baseball size Public
1 NE Dannebrog, NE4:58 PM CDTHoward County
Corrects previous hail report from 1 NE Dannebrog.
3.00″ baseball size Public
1 NE Dannebrog, NE5:27 PM CDTHoward County
2.75″ baseball size Public
5 N Cairo, NE4:45 PM CDTHoward County
Delayed report of baseball size hail near Centura Public School. Photo received via Facebook.
2.75″ baseball size 911 Call Center
Elba, NE4:54 PM CDTHoward County
2.75″ baseball size Amateur Radio
Dannebrog, NE4:58 PM CDTHoward County
Corrects previous hail report from Dannebrog.
2.75″ baseball size 911 Call Center
Dannebrog, NE5:04 PM CDTHoward County
2.75″ baseball size Amateur Radio
Dannebrog, NE5:11 PM CDTHoward County
2.50″ hen egg size Public
Ashton, NE4:30 PM CDTSherman County
2.50″ hen egg size Emergency Mngr
Ashton, NE4:51 PM CDTSherman County
Danny near Ashton.
2.50″ hen egg size NWS Employee
5 ESE Saint Paul, NE5:15 PM CDTHoward County
2.50″ hen egg size Public
Ruth, MI7:26 PM EDTHuron County
Media relayed a photo of roughly 2.5 inch hailstone in Ruth.
2.50″ hen egg size Emergency Mngr
Deshler, NE6:34 PM CDTThayer County
2.25″ hen egg size Public
3 WNW Deshler, NE6:30 PM CDTThayer County
Facebook photo of estimated hail larger than 2 inches.

Showing the 15 largest of 152 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 17, 2026

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 7 cities across 5 states on May 17, 2026. The largest stones — 1.50 inches, half dollar size — were over Sioux Falls, SD. Every state hit is listed on this page, and every city under it.

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