StormProof → hail seasons → New Orleans → 2026
New Orleans hail season 2026
3 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 30 miles, across 2 storm days, max 1.50". 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2026 | 2 | 1.50" | ST. CHARLES |
| May 22, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | ST. CHARLES |
When it fell
May 3
Preliminary 2026 reports (SPC, season in progress)
Same-day SPC storm reports through 2026-10-01, before NCEI compiles the final record: 6 reports ≥1″ on 3 days, up to 1.50". Preliminary counts shift as reports are quality-controlled; they are labeled preliminary in every report we generate.
| Date (preliminary) | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2026 | 3 | 1.00" | 2 NNW Harvey, 3 NNE Marrero, 2 WNW Gretna |
| May 8, 2026 | 2 | 1.50" | Destrehan, New Sarpy |
| May 22, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | 3 E Destrehan |
Wind context: the record also holds 16 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 New Orleans 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 New Orleans 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.