StormProof → hail seasons → Madison → 2026
Madison hail season 2026
78 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 25 miles, across 2 storm days, max 4.00". 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 14, 2026 | 77 | 4.00" | IOWA, DANE, JEFFERSON |
| April 27, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | SAUK |
“Trained spotter confirms 4 inch diameter hail east of Maple Bluff. Size confirmed via photograph. Time confirmed via radar data.”
— NWS event narrative, April 14, 2026 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Apr 78
Preliminary 2026 reports (SPC, season in progress)
Same-day SPC storm reports through 2026-10-01, before NCEI compiles the final record: 84 reports ≥1″ on 3 days, up to 4.00". 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 14, 2026 | 81 | 4.00" | 1 SE Barneveld, Barneveld, 1 NW Riley, 2 NE Blue Mounds |
| April 13, 2026 | 2 | 1.25" | 2 SW Monona, 4 NE Cross Plains |
| April 27, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | 2 N Merrimac |
Wind context: the record also holds 42 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 Madison 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 25 miles of the Madison 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.