How big was the hail on July 20, 2026?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in the country that day was 1.50 inches, over Des Moines, 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 · July 20, 2026

Hail map — July 20, 2026

Name: US hail map — July 20, 2026
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 12 cities across 3 states on July 20, 2026. The largest stones — 1.50″, half dollar size — fell over Des Moines, IA.

Hail swath map for Des Moines, IA on July 20, 2026 showing 1.50 inch hail. — Largest rendered swath of the day: Des Moines, IA — 1.50″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

States hit: 3
Cities hit: 12
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

Work your area on the live hail map

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.

Your whole state at street level, with this storm already on it
Three years of hail swaths, filterable by stone size
GPS door-knocking, pins, jobs and estimates — the full loop, not a preview
Month-to-month, cancel anytime

Get started

One state, one user, everything included. $79/mo, cancel anytime.

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.

Check my address

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 July 20, 2026

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

Iowa7 cities · 1.50″Ohio4 cities · 1.00″Utah1 city · 1.00″

Hardest hit on July 20, 2026

Des Moines, IA1.50″ · half dollar Ames, IA1.50″ · half dollar Ankeny, IA1.50″ · half dollar Johnston, IA1.50″ · half dollar Parma, OH1.00″ · quarter West Des Moines, IA1.00″ · quarter Urbandale, IA1.00″ · quarter Cedar City, UT1.00″ · quarter Garfield Heights, OH1.00″ · quarter Shaker Heights, OH1.00″ · quarter Mason City, IA1.00″ · quarter Maple Heights, OH1.00″ · quarter

What people on the ground measured in the US on July 20, 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.

3.25″ baseball size Public
5 NE Watson, MI6:36 PM EDTMarquette County
Corrects previous hail report from 5 NE Watson.
3.00″ baseball size Public
5 NE Watson, MI7:36 PM EDTMarquette County
2.75″ baseball size Public
Arnold, MI6:24 PM EDTMarquette County
2.75″ baseball size Storm Chaser
1 NE Story City, IA5:26 PM CDTStory County
2.75″ baseball size Amateur Radio
4 S Trenary, MI6:54 PM EDTDelta County
Report of baseball sized hail 15 miles north of Rapid River.
2.75″ baseball size Amateur Radio
2 S Perkins, MI6:54 PM EDTDelta County
Corrects previous hail report from 4 S Trenary. Location actually was in Brampton.
2.75″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
Hermansville, MI7:25 PM EDTMenominee County
2.50″ hen egg size Storm Chaser
2 NNE Roland, IA5:19 PM CDTStory County
Between 2 to 2.5 inch hail. Damage to vehicles.
2.00″ hen egg size Trained Spotter
1 ENE Ellsworth, IA5:07 PM CDTHamilton County
2 inch hail.
2.00″ hen egg size Public
Wilson, MI7:23 PM EDTMenominee County
1.75″ golf ball size Law Enforcement
4 N Kamrar, IA4:39 PM CDTHamilton County
1.75″ golf ball size Trained Spotter
4 N Roland, IA5:15 PM CDTHamilton County
Golf ball size plus hail.
1.75″ golf ball size CO-OP Observer
2 N Arnold, MI6:23 PM EDTMarquette County
Golf ball or bigger hail reported.
1.25″ half dollar size Public
4 W Trowbridge Park, MI5:45 PM EDTMarquette County
1.25″ half dollar size Official NWS Obs
4 NE Negaunee, MI5:45 PM EDTMarquette County

Showing the 15 largest of 36 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 July 20, 2026

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 12 cities across 3 states on July 20, 2026. The largest stones — 1.50 inches, half dollar size — were over Des Moines, IA. Every state hit is listed on this page, and every city under it.

Knock the streets this storm hit

Your whole state at street level, with this swath already on the map — $79/mo, cancel anytime.

One state, everything included · from $79/mo · month-to-month, cancel anytime