Brownwood, TX Hail Storm – April 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Brownwood, Texas on April 18, 2026, producing stones up to 3.25 inches during the early to mid-morning period and prompting multiple NWS warning-area alerts.

What Happened

The event began before dawn and persisted into late morning. NWS issued 17 warning-area alerts between 5:42 AM CDT and 11:49 AM CDT. Most alerts carried one-inch hail criteria; the final alert at 11:49 AM CDT cited up to 1.5-inch hail in the warning area. Each alert was issued as an NWS warning-area alert without additional ground-verified size listed in the alert text.

NEXRAD hail detections produced elevated returns along a corridor through the Brownwood metro during the 5:30–11:50 AM CDT window. Radar-derived hail track shows concentrated echoes near Lake Ivie and extending southeast through portions of the metro. Spotters at Lake Ivie reported nickel-to-quarter size hail at 8:09 AM CDT, recorded by the Storm Prediction Center and a spotter-verified submission. The spotter report aligns in time with one of the stronger radar returns over the lake.

Field observations were limited to the Lake Ivie area in the public reporting record. No additional spotter-verified measurements were submitted to local storm report channels for other parts of the Brownwood metro during the event. The sequence of NWS warning-area alerts and the radar-derived hail track indicate a storm that evolved in intensity through the morning period and produced isolated pockets of significant hail size along its path.

Damage Assessment

Surface impact reports were sparse. The SPC and a spotter-verified submission recorded nickel-to-quarter size hail at Lake Ivie at 8:09 AM CDT. No local storm reports of structural roof failures, widespread tree damage, or insured-loss summaries were filed in the public record for Brownwood during the event window.

Radar-derived hail returns show stronger reflectivity cores near the Lake Ivie area and along the warning-area track through the metro. Those radar cores indicate locations most likely to have received harder impacts. Field reports do not document vehicle denting or siding damage for specific addresses in Brownwood. Any targeted inspections should prioritize properties immediately adjacent to the Lake Ivie shoreline and along the corridor where radar returns were most concentrated.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections for properties within the NWS warning-area corridor and those near Lake Ivie. Begin with vehicle surfaces, south- and west-facing roof slopes, and exposed HVAC units. Expect localized denting and granule loss rather than uniform roof-cover failure for most residential addresses based on available field reports.

Document conditions with timestamped photographs and include the 8:09 AM CDT Lake Ivie report in work orders for properties in that vicinity. For claims in locations beyond Lake Ivie, pair on-site findings with the radar-derived hail track to demonstrate spatial correlation. Use high-resolution photos of shingles, gutters, soffits, and vehicle panels to show impact pattern and density.