Hanceville, AL Hail Storm – February 2026

What Happened

A severe hail storm affected Hanceville, Alabama, on Feb. 26, 2026, with verified hail up to 2 inches and repeated reports across the afternoon and evening. The event began with 1.25-inch to 1.75-inch hail around 2:38 PM CST, then expanded through a series of radar and spotter-confirmed alerts that continued until 8:33 PM CST.

The first reports came in during the mid-afternoon. At 2:41 PM CST, social media photos showed quarter-size hail in Pineywoods. Around 3:33 PM CST, a spotter in Pinson reported quarter to half dollar-size hail, along with heavy small hail that covered the ground and produced fog. Additional reports followed near Trussville, Chalkville, Clay, and Deerfoot Parkway, where spotters documented hail in the 1 to 1.75-inch range. By 3:58 PM CST, social media photos were used to estimate up to 2-inch hail.

Radar confidence strengthened as the storm matured. Dual-polarization radar indicated 1.75-inch hail at 3:21 PM CST and again at 3:51 PM CST. The storm then produced a cluster of radar and spotter-verified alerts after 5 PM CST, including 1.5-inch hail at 5:17 PM CST and 2-inch hail at 5:29 PM CST. Later reports at 6:04 PM CST, 6:22 PM CST, 6:23 PM CST, and 6:45 PM CST kept hail in the 1 to 2-inch range. The last alert came at 8:33 PM CST with 1-inch hail.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to concentrated surface impact across north-central Alabama, not just isolated large stones. Spotters measured 1 to 2-inch hail on Wagon Mountain Road at 5:55 PM CST. Near Holly Pond, a 7:00 PM CST report documented hail damage to a vehicle and a manufactured home on CR 698. A 7:35 PM CST report noted golf ball-size hail on the Blount County side of Altoona. Earlier reports from Pinson, Pineywoods, Chalkville, Clay, Trussville, and Pell City confirm a broad hail footprint with repeated ground reports of quarter-size to golf ball-size stones.

The damage picture includes both impact and accumulation. One report from Pinson described copious small hail coating the ground and creating fog. Another from the Pineywoods area used social media photos to confirm quarter-size hail, and later reports near Deerfoot Parkway and the Clay area showed the storm maintained damaging hail as it moved east. The Hanceville area is included in the larger multi-zone storm sequence, with repeated alerts showing the hail core remained active for several hours.

The reports near Holly Pond are the clearest property impacts in the dataset. Vehicle and manufactured-home damage on CR 698 suggests exposed surfaces took a direct hit. Reports from Wagon Mountain Road also place larger hail on the ground in the local area. The storm did not rely on one brief burst. It produced multiple waves of hail-producing cores through the afternoon and evening.

What Contractors Should Know

This event covered a wide stretch of north-central Alabama, including Hanceville, Holly Pond, Altoona, Pinson, Trussville, Clay, Chalkville, Pell City, and nearby roads and subdivisions. Field crews should expect a scattered pattern of roof, gutter, trim, soft-metal, and vehicle claims rather than one compact impact point. The heaviest reports came from mobile and exposed assets, including a manufactured home and vehicles on CR 698 near Holly Pond.