Where the Hail Fell, April 28, 2026

What happened

On the morning of April 28, 2026, numerous supercells formed across southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. One of them split as it moved into Barry County, and the left-moving half became the most prolific hail producer of the day. It tracked north-northeast through Lawrence, Christian, Greene, Dallas, Webster, Laclede and Camden counties, producing severe hail continuously for two hours and twenty minutes.

It reached peak intensity as it came over Aurora, then drove straight across northwest Springfield, dropping hail from baseball size (2.75 inches) up to 4.75 inches, which the NWS describes as slightly larger than a grapefruit, or about the size of a CD. Hail collected at the National Weather Service office in northwest Springfield measured 4.00 inches after thirty minutes of melting, meaning it was larger than that when it landed.

Every hail report, southwest Missouri, April 28, 2026

These are the NWS Local Storm Reports as filed by trained spotters and emergency personnel. Locations are recorded the way the NWS records them: in miles and compass direction from the named town. If your town is not listed, that means no report was filed there, which is meaningful information in its own right.

Why your neighbour got a roof and you did not

This is the single most common argument happening in Greene and Christian counties this summer, and the table explains it. The swath ran diagonally, from Aurora up through Republic, Bois D’Arc and Willard and across the northwest and north sides of Springfield, between roughly 11:20 a.m. and noon. Nixa and Ozark, twelve to fifteen miles south, were clipped by a completely separate and much weaker cell nearly two hours later.

So there were effectively three storms that day, as far as your roof is concerned:

Three things that are true and that nobody at your door will tell you

1. A denied claim in Nixa is probably a correct claim. One inch hail at two in the afternoon is not the storm that made the news, and appealing it will not change what fell.
2. Your deductible may be a percentage, not a dollar figure. Two percent of a $300,000 dwelling limit is $6,000. Check the declarations page before you decide anything. More on the insurance page.
3. Anybody offering to cover that deductible is breaking Missouri law. RSMo 407.725 prohibits it outright, and defines the prohibition broadly enough to catch discounts, credits, gift cards and referral fees.

Beyond the roofs

For the record, because it puts the roof damage in proportion: thousands of vehicles were damaged across Springfield, with damage running from dents to completely destroyed windshields. There was significant damage around Springfield-Branson National Airport. Utility poles and gas meters were damaged. An emu at Dickerson Park Zoo was killed by the hail and another animal was left in veterinary care. Numerous people were treated in area hospitals for injuries sustained from the hail itself.

Use this however you like

The data in the table above is public, published by the National Weather Service, and we have reproduced it without alteration. If you are a journalist, an adjuster, a public official or another contractor and it is useful to you, take it. A link back is appreciated and not required. The original NWS event summary has the radar loops, the environmental analysis and the photographs.

About the April 28 storm

How big was the hail in Springfield on April 28, 2026?

Between 1.00 and 2.75 inches inside Springfield itself, with the larger reports on the north and northwest sides. The 4.75 inch record stone fell five miles southeast of Bois D’Arc, west of the city, and 4.00 inch hail was measured five miles south-southeast of Willard and one mile north-northwest of Aurora. Hail retrieved at the NWS Springfield office in northwest Springfield still measured 4.00 inches after thirty minutes of melting.

Was this a record?

Yes. The 4.75 inch stone broke Greene County’s hail size record, which had stood since records began in 1950, by nearly two full inches. The county had recorded 3 inch hail only six times in those 75 years, including this event.

How much damage did it cause?

Joint preliminary damage assessments put Greene County alone above $36 million. State Farm logged more than 17,000 home, property and auto claims across the late-April Missouri storms and deployed a mobile catastrophe unit to Springfield. Ten thousand City Utilities customers lost power immediately after the storm, and Greene County law enforcement responded to 29 crashes during the storm window.

Why did Nixa and Ozark get so much less?

Because they were hit by a different storm. The record-breaking left-moving supercell tracked from Aurora north-northeast across Republic, Willard and northwest Springfield between roughly 11:20 a.m. and noon. Nixa and Ozark’s 1.00 inch reports are timestamped 1:46 to 1:55 p.m., from a separate and much weaker cell, by which time the original supercell was over Camden County.

Is it too late to file a claim?

Missouri sets no statutory deadline to open a claim. Your policy governs, and reporting windows are typically 12 to 24 months, though proof of loss is often due within 60 days of filing. Three months on from an event this well documented is routine, and the NWS record is public evidence of the date and severity.