Raymond, MS Hail Storm – April 2026

A severe hail-producing storm tracked through the Raymond, Mississippi metro on April 29, 2026, producing stones up to 1.75 inches and generating multiple NWS alerts and radar detections.

What Happened

The event began in the early afternoon with an initial NWS warning at 1:13 PM CDT, and it evolved into a multi-hour hail-producing line that yielded 26 NWS alerts across the metro and adjacent zones. Dual-polarization NEXRAD detections first flagged larger hail at 1:31 PM CDT and returned repeated radar-detected hail signatures later in the afternoon, including notable detections around 1:57 PM CDT and again in the late afternoon near 4:53 PM CDT. Several NWS warning-only alerts interleaved with those radar detections between 1:13 PM and 7:49 PM CDT, indicating the warning area shifted and reissued as the storm complex moved.

Spotter observations corroborate the radar picture. A spotter reported 1-inch hail along Oakley-Palestine Road at 1:23 PM CDT, and public observers reported golf-ball sized hail near Carriere, MS at 7:32 PM CDT. Those ground reports align with the radar-detected hail swath that crossed the Raymond metro and nearby corridors during the afternoon and early evening.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and radar mapping show concentrated hail impacts along the storm track through the Raymond metro and toward Carriere. The late-evening spotter message near Carriere noted golf-ball sized stones, which suggests localized strikes capable of denting vehicle metal and damaging exposed soft materials in that immediate area. The earlier spotter entry along Oakley-Palestine Road documented smaller but measurable hail that is consistent with NEXRAD detections during the early afternoon pass.

There are no additional public storm damage reports in the spotter submissions provided beyond the hail size observations. Radar-detected hail echoes and repeated NWS warning polygons indicate the greatest surface hail activity tracked from roughly early afternoon into early evening across a corridor that included Raymond, adjacent rural roads like Oakley-Palestine, and downrange toward Carriere. Inspectors working in those zones should expect the highest loss potential where the public hail report and radar swath overlap.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections in the Raymond metro north–south corridor and along routes between Raymond and Carriere where radar-detected hail echoes intersect spotter observations. Start with photographic documentation of each structure and vehicle before any work begins. Note the spotter timestamps—1:23 PM CDT on Oakley-Palestine Road and 7:32 PM CDT near Carriere—on inspection logs to correlate observed damage with the storm timing and the radar hail swath.

For roofing, focus first on areas directly beneath the mapped hail swath where golf-ball sized impacts were reported. In those locations check for split or dented ridge vents, granule loss concentrated on windward slopes, and impact marks on flashings and metal components. For the Oakley-Palestine Road zone, document granule displacement and shingle bruising that may not yet produce immediate leaks but can shorten service life. For vehicles, catalog dent locations with scaled photos and note whether dents penetrate paint vs. only deform panels; sports and soft-top vehicles reported near the Carriere observation should be inspected for windshield chips as well.