Bartlesville, OK Hail Storm – April 2026

What Happened

A severe hail storm crossed the Bartlesville, OK metro on April 15, 2026, with spotter-verified stones up to 4 inches and multiple radar-detected hail signatures through the afternoon and evening. The storm stayed active for hours, with NWS warning areas cycling from 1-inch hail early to larger hail reports by late afternoon.

The first warning areas came in at 1:59 PM CDT and 2:45 PM CDT with 1-inch hail. Additional 1-inch alerts followed at 3:13 PM CDT and 3:21 PM CDT. By 4:11 PM CDT and 4:12 PM CDT, spotter reports had reached 1.5-inch hail. At 4:47 PM CDT, dual-polarization radar detected 2-inch hail. Spotter-verified reports soon pushed higher, including 2.75-inch hail at 4:37 PM CDT and 4-inch hail at 4:40 PM CDT, with time estimated from radar in the field reports.

The warning stream continued through late afternoon and evening. A spotter report of 1.25-inch hail came in at 6:28 PM CDT, followed by another spotter-verified 1.25-inch report at 7:00 PM CDT. Dual-polarization radar detected 1-inch hail again at 8:31 PM CDT, and a spotter report of 1-inch hail followed at 9:00 PM CDT. The final warning area in the sequence arrived at 11:29 PM CDT with 0.75-inch hail.

Damage Assessment

Field reports pointed to a concentrated hail core near Bartlesville and nearby parts of northeast Oklahoma during the late-afternoon peak. The strongest ground truth came from spotter-verified reports at 4:37 PM CDT, 4:40 PM CDT, and 4:41 PM CDT, when hail sizes ranged from 2.5 inches to 4 inches. One report noted baseball-sized hail from social media imagery. Another reported measured 2.5-inch hail in downtown Paola. Several reports at 4:34 PM CDT described sporadic 2-inch hail stones. A later report at 4:50 PM CDT relayed social media evidence of 2-inch hail.

The damage picture in the report set included broken windows and vehicle damage in the broader hail path. One report from Osawatomie described multiple homes and vehicles damaged, with many windows and windshields cracked or broken from hail up to tennis ball size. The Bartlesville-area record does not list every impact type by street, but the field evidence supports a hail swath that produced hard surface impact, not just marginal roof exposure.

The radar and spotter mix also shows a storm that evolved quickly. Early warnings held at 1 inch. By mid to late afternoon, spotter-verified hail had climbed well past 2 inches. The 4-inch reports came within minutes of the 2.75-inch and 2.5-inch reports, which points to a narrow corridor of larger stones inside a broader warning area.

What Contractors Should Know

This storm deserves a full roof and exterior canvass across the Bartlesville metro, with attention on the late-afternoon hail path and any properties tied to the 4:37 PM CDT through 4:41 PM CDT report window. The hail sequence moved from 1-inch warning areas into a spotter-verified peak of 4 inches. That mix often leaves a patchy but severe footprint. Check soft metals, vents, roof slopes, window screens, garage doors, and vehicles first.

Bartlesville, OK Hail Storm – April 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 49

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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