RoofTake

Historical hail archive: January 2016–December 2025. NOAA radar estimates within 25 miles of each city centre. ZIP matches use the first three digits; this is not a property-level report or a live alert service. Coverage and source.

Wichita County · Texas · NOAA radar record

The May 20, 2018 hailstorm — Wichita Falls, TX

Radar estimated the largest stone at 4.00 in (10.2 cm), Grapefruit size. It was the 1st biggest hail day on record for Wichita Falls since 2016. Radar detections fall within the hour range 01:00–06:00 UTC on this UTC calendar date. Local dates and times may differ.

4.00 inlargest stone estimated (10.2 cm)
254radar signatures
100%hail probability, 100% severe
1stbiggest day in Wichita Falls

Check your own ZIP code Write a claim letter with this date

Data last refreshed: · source: NOAA NCEI Severe Weather Data Inventory, nx3hail

What those numbers mean

A 4.00 in stone is roughly what people call Grapefruit size. At this size damage is usually obvious — fractured shingles, dented gutters and vents, and often the decking underneath.

A radar estimate, not a ground measurement.

MAXSIZE is the algorithm's estimate of the largest stone aloft in the storm cell. Hail melts and breaks up on the way down, so what lands is usually smaller. And the swath is narrow: a detection 5.48 miles from downtown says nothing about your street. What radar can and cannot prove.

If you own a roof in Wichita Falls and this date means nothing to you, it is worth a look. Hail damage to asphalt shingles does not leak for years — and it looks different from what most people expect.

Where else it hailed that day

Radar also detected hail in 18 other areas on the same UTC date. These records do not establish that the areas shared one storm system.

AreaRadar max MetricSignatures
Lubbock, TX4.00 in10.2 cm454
St. Louis, MO2.25 in5.7 cm30
Nashville, TN2.25 in5.7 cm87
Memphis, TN2.25 in5.7 cm87
Birmingham, AL2.25 in5.7 cm14
Amarillo, TX1.50 in3.8 cm9
Lawton, OK1.50 in3.8 cm63
Huntsville, AL1.50 in3.8 cm12
Atlanta, GA1.50 in3.8 cm45
Springfield, MO1.25 in3.2 cm4
Norman, OK1.25 in3.2 cm42
Houston, TX1.25 in3.2 cm10

What Wichita Falls took either side of it

Before

  1. May 18, 2018
    1.25 in (3.2 cm) — Half dollar size, radar-estimated
    28 radar signatures · closest signature 3.68 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 50%
  2. May 16, 2018
    1.00 in (2.5 cm) — Quarter size, radar-estimated
    16 radar signatures · closest signature 3.75 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 40%
  3. May 15, 2018
    1.50 in (3.8 cm) — Ping-pong ball size, radar-estimated
    64 radar signatures · closest signature 3.36 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 70%
  4. May 3, 2018
    2.00 in (5.1 cm) — Hen egg size, radar-estimated
    139 radar signatures · closest signature 1.62 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 80%
  5. May 2, 2018
    1.00 in (2.5 cm) — Quarter size, radar-estimated
    4 radar signatures · closest signature 19.5 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 50%

Since

  1. June 8, 2018
    1.00 in (2.5 cm) — Quarter size, radar-estimated
    33 radar signatures · closest signature 3.55 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 40%
  2. June 24, 2018
    3.75 in (9.5 cm) — Teacup size, radar-estimated
    28 radar signatures · closest signature 22.03 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 100%
  3. June 30, 2018
    1.00 in (2.5 cm) — Quarter size, radar-estimated
    3 radar signatures · closest signature 23.03 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 30%
  4. July 1, 2018
    1.25 in (3.2 cm) — Half dollar size, radar-estimated
    29 radar signatures · closest signature 14.94 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 50%
  5. July 6, 2018
    1.00 in (2.5 cm) — Quarter size, radar-estimated
    10 radar signatures · closest signature 18.17 mi from the centroid · hail probability 100%, severe 40%

The full Wichita Falls record — RoofTake Score 81

Were you there?

Photographs and first-hand reports of a specific storm are the one thing about this date that exists nowhere else. Add yours on your city's page — no name, no email, structured fields only.

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Common questions

Did hail hit my house on May 20, 2018?

This page tells you only that radar detected hail within 25 miles of downtown Wichita Falls. Hail swaths are narrow and sharply bounded — one street can be wrecked and the next untouched. Check your ZIP on the home page, then go and look at the roof.

How big was the hail?

The algorithm estimated the largest stone in the storm cell at 4.00 in (10.2 cm) — Grapefruit size. That is an estimate of what was aloft, not a measurement of what landed. Ground truth is usually smaller.

Can I use this page for an insurance claim?

You can use it as evidence of a date of loss — the source is NOAA's public database and we cite it. It does not prove damage to your roof; only an inspection does that. Our claim letter generator drops this citation into your notice of claim for you.

Why have I never heard about this storm?

Most hail never makes the news. Radar sees far more of it than anybody reports, which is exactly why these pages exist.

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