StormProof → hail seasons → Cleveland → 2026
Cleveland hail season 2026
20 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 30 miles, across 3 storm days, max 2.25". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2026 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2026, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | 16 | 2.25" | LORAIN, CUYAHOGA, GEAUGA |
| June 25, 2026 | 3 | 1.00" | GEAUGA, CUYAHOGA |
| June 10, 2026 | 1 | 1.25" | SUMMIT |
“Multiple reports of hail up to golf ball-size to slightly larger than hen egg-size in Bedford. For example, received a picture of a 2.25 diameter hailstone, measured with a ruler, in Bedford. Also, wind-driven severe hail damaged some of the siding and a window of a house in the town. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Bedford's mayor estimated the severe hailstorm caused $1 million in damage to city hall and t”
— NWS event narrative, April 15, 2026 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Apr 16 · Jun 4
Preliminary 2026 reports (SPC, season in progress)
Same-day SPC storm reports through 2026-10-01, before NCEI compiles the final record: 38 reports ≥1″ on 6 days, up to 2.00". Preliminary counts shift as reports are quality-controlled; they are labeled preliminary in every report we generate.
| Date (preliminary) | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | 21 | 2.00" | 2 W Grafton, Grafton, Solon, 1 ESE Parma Heights |
| August 22, 2026 | 8 | 1.75" | Garfield Heights, 1 NW North Olmsted, 1 SE Westlake, Fairview Park |
| August 10, 2026 | 5 | 1.50" | Copley, 2 SE Fairlawn, 2 W Pigeon Creek, 5 W Montrose-Ghent |
| March 31, 2026 | 2 | 1.00" | Brunswick, 1 SE Brunswick |
| August 23, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | 3 NE Aquilla |
Wind context: the record also holds 59 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2026 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Cleveland claim from 2026?
These are aggregates. A claim file needs the per-address record: every recorded event within 1, 3 and 10 miles of the property, distances, official narratives, and citations an adjuster can check line by line. That's the report — generated in seconds, hosted on HailEvidence (the neutral evidence surface), formatted as an insurance-appeal attachment.
Unlimited reports — Pro $99/mo Single report $29
Provenance
Final counts: NCEI Storm Events Database, file vintage c20260918, hail events with recorded magnitude ≥1.00″ and point coordinates within 30 miles of the Cleveland anchor. Preliminary counts: SPC daily storm reports through 2026-10-01. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. Spotted an error? Email the address on our terms page and we correct against the source.