2026 Hail Season by Metro: NOAA Data for Roofers in 12 Markets
Kansas City, Dallas–Fort Worth and Chicago logged the most hail reports of 12 major roofing markets in 2026. We counted NOAA’s preliminary hail reports for the core counties of each metro from January 1 to October 13, 2026. The results show where roofers’ storm backlog is heaviest going into the fourth quarter, and where the year was quiet.
Key findings
- Kansas City had the most metro hail reports (62), including 24 on March 10 alone, the busiest single day in any of the 12 metros.
- March 10 hit three metros on the same day: 4.8-inch hail in Darien (Chicago), 4.5-inch hail near Weatherby Lake (Kansas City) and 2.75-inch hail in Bethany (Oklahoma City).
- Dallas–Fort Worth had the most hail days (17) and the most reports of 2 inches or larger (15), with the worst of it in the week of April 25.
- Chicagoland’s July 27 storms produced 19 hail reports in one day, along with tornado reports from Glen Ellyn to Orland Park.
- Houston and the Twin Cities core were the quietest of the 12, while Des Moines was still getting hail on October 8.
2026 hail reports by metro
| Metro | Hail reports | Days with hail | Reports of 2" or larger | Largest hail reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | 62 | 13 | 6 | 4.50″ near Weatherby Lake, Mar 10 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | 57 | 17 | 15 | 4.50″ near Godley, Apr 28 |
| Chicago | 55 | 9 | 7 | 4.80″ near Darien, Mar 10 |
| Denver | 41 | 12 | 1 | 2.00″ near Bennett, Jun 1 |
| Oklahoma City | 32 | 15 | 8 | 2.75″ near Bethany, Mar 10 |
| St. Louis | 25 | 8 | 4 | 2.50″ near Highland, Aug 21 |
| Des Moines | 20 | 8 | 1 | 2.25″ near Ankeny, Sep 8 |
| Omaha | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1.25″ near Millard, Apr 23 |
| Indianapolis | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1.50″ near Southport, Mar 22 |
| Milwaukee | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2.50″ near Oconomowoc, Jul 27 |
| Houston | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1.50″ near First Colony, Apr 30 |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2.25″ near St. Paul, Jun 19 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary filtered hail reports, January 1 to October 13, 2026, core counties only (listed under Methodology). Hail sizes are in inches.
Where the 2026 hail belt ran
Statewide, Kansas (818 raw reports), Texas (812), Missouri (702), Nebraska (622) and Illinois (579) logged the most hail reports in 2026, followed by Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Much of Minnesota’s hail fell outside the Twin Cities, with the largest stones at Lake Crystal near Mankato (3.5 inches, April 13), near Moorhead (3 inches, June 29) and near Park Rapids (2.75 inches, August 6).
What it means for roofers in Q4
Hail that fell in the spring and summer is still working through roofers’ offices this fall. Claims, supplements, depreciation paperwork and final payments from those jobs can take months to close. In the metros at the top of the table, that back-office load peaks right as the installation season winds down. Our insurance claims processing team handles that paperwork for roofing contractors, and our bookkeeping for contractors keeps invoices and accounts receivable moving.
Next spring may look different. NOAA’s October 8 outlook calls for a strong to very strong El Niño through January to March 2027, and El Niño springs have tended to bring fewer hailstorms to the south-central US. That is a tendency, not a forecast. For roofers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, it is a reason to follow up on the estimates they have already written instead of waiting for the next storm.
Market-specific notes: Dallas–Fort Worth roofers · Chicagoland roofers · Twin Cities roofers
Methodology
We downloaded NOAA Storm Prediction Center daily preliminary hail report files for January 1 to October 13, 2026, and counted the filtered reports (which remove near-duplicate reports of the same hail) in each metro’s core counties. A report is one observation of hail at a place and time, not a count of damaged homes, and preliminary reports can change when NOAA finalizes its data. Statewide totals use the raw (unfiltered) report counts. Counties included: Kansas City: MO: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte; KS: Johnson, Wyandotte; Dallas–Fort Worth: TX: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant; Chicago: IL: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will; Denver: CO: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson; Oklahoma City: OK: Canadian, Cleveland, Logan, Oklahoma; St. Louis: MO: Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Louis City; IL: Madison, St. Clair; Des Moines: IA: Dallas, Polk, Warren; Omaha: NE: Douglas, Sarpy; IA: Pottawattamie; Indianapolis: IN: Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion; Milwaukee: WI: Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha; Houston: TX: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery; Minneapolis–St. Paul: MN: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington.
Sources
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center: daily storm reports
- NOAA Climate Prediction Center: ENSO diagnostic discussion, October 8, 2026
- NOAA Climate.gov: El Niño and La Niña affect spring tornadoes and hailstorms
Conclusion
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