How big was the hail on April 14, 2026?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in Iowa that day was 2.00 inches. 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.

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 the whole of Iowa on a real interactive map with this swath and three years of others already on it. $79/mo, and the canvassing tools come with it.

Iowa · April 14, 2026

Iowa hail map — April 14, 2026

Name: Iowa hail map — April 14, 2026
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 6 Iowa cities on April 14, 2026. The largest stones — 2.00″, hen egg size — fell over Waterloo.

Hail swath map for Waterloo, IA on April 14, 2026 showing 2.00 inch hail. — Swath over Waterloo on April 14, 2026 — 2.00″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

Cities hit: 6; in Iowa
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

Work Iowa 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.

All of Iowa 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 Iowa 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.

Iowa cities hit on April 14, 2026

Waterloo, IA2.00″ · hen egg Cedar Falls, IA2.00″ · hen egg Cedar Rapids, IA1.00″ · quarter Dubuque, IA1.00″ · quarter Marion, IA1.00″ · quarter Ottumwa, IA1.00″ · quarter

What people on the ground measured in Iowa on April 14, 2026

12 reports filed with the National Weather Service — 3 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 Public
Elma, IA4:56 PM CDTHoward County
3.25″ baseball size Public
1 E Charles City, IA4:40 PM CDTFloyd County
3.25″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
3 E Otterville, IA5:02 PM CDTBuchanan County
Image from Buchanan County Emergency Manager in NWS Chat. Time estimated from radar.
3.00″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
2 ENE Onslow, IA6:50 PM CDTJones County
Photo provided. Time estimated using radar.
2.75″ baseball size Public
1 SSW Charles City, IA4:30 PM CDTFloyd County
Golf ball to baseball.
2.75″ baseball size Public
4 NNE Independence, IA5:06 PM CDTBuchanan County
Time estimated from radar.
2.75″ baseball size Fire Dept/Rescue
Elma, IA5:09 PM CDTHoward County
2.75″ baseball size Public
Saratoga, IA5:15 PM CDTHoward County
Time estimated via radar.
2.50″ hen egg size Public
Monona, IA4:11 PM CDTClayton County
Time estimated via radar.
2.50″ hen egg size Public
1 ENE Waterloo, IA4:24 PM CDTBlack Hawk County
Estimated in comparison to tennis ball. Time estimated from radar.
2.50″ hen egg size Public
3 ENE Floyd, IA4:50 PM CDTFloyd County
2.00″ hen egg size Trained Spotter
1 SW Waterloo, IA4:29 PM CDTBlack Hawk County

Showing the 12 largest of 80 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 states hit on April 14, 2026

Wisconsin6 cities · 2.00″Indiana2 cities · 2.00″Oklahoma1 city · 1.50″Illinois27 cities · 1.00″

The full US hail map for April 14, 2026 →

Other Iowa hail days

August 12, 20262 cities · 1.00″August 7, 20262 cities · 1.00″July 27, 20263 cities · 1.00″July 21, 20261 city · 1.00″July 20, 20267 cities · 1.50″July 4, 20261 city · 1.00″July 3, 20263 cities · 1.00″July 2, 20267 cities · 1.00″July 1, 20261 city · 1.50″June 30, 20261 city · 1.00″June 28, 20262 cities · 1.00″June 17, 20261 city · 1.00″

Every hail day across Iowa →

FAQ

Iowa hail on April 14, 2026

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 6 Iowa cities that day. The largest stones — 2.00 inches, hen egg size — were over Waterloo. Every city hit is listed above with its own stone size.

Knock the Iowa 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