Terry, MS Hail Storm – May 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Terry, MS on May 17, 2026, producing 1.76-inch hail and spotter-verified 1-inch observations in the early evening. The event generated three NWS severe thunderstorm warnings issued between 5:51 PM and 6:52 PM CDT and showed coherent hail signatures on dual-polarization radar.

What Happened

NWS issued three separate severe thunderstorm warnings for Terry on May 17: 5:51 PM CDT, 6:43 PM CDT, and 6:52 PM CDT. Each warning cited the potential for 1-inch hail and carried an NWS warning only confidence statement. Radar scans during the 5:30–7:00 PM CDT window showed sustained hail-type returns moving northeast through central Terry.

Spotter reports were logged during the event. A trained observer reported 1-inch hail along W Flowers Rd at 6:15 PM CDT. Two spotter-verified 1-inch reports were recorded along Lakewood Dr at 6:39 PM CDT. The duplicate timing and location on Lakewood Dr indicate a concentrated surface impact band in that neighborhood concurrent with the later warning cycle.

Dual-polarization radar identified hail signatures aligned with the spotter timeline. The radar-derived echoes intensified ahead of the 6:30 PM warnings and persisted as the cell moved northeast. NWS warnings remained in effect during the period when the spotter reports were received.

Damage Assessment

Local Storm Reports show three spotter-verified 1-inch hail observations concentrated in northeast Terry. W Flowers Rd and Lakewood Dr are the only public surface reports in the dataset for this event. There are no additional local storm reports in the immediate Terry municipal area outside those locations.

Field observations from the spotters describe rounded hail impacts consistent with pebble- to quarter-sized stones at the listed times. Radar-detected hail signatures were colocated with those observations, indicating the surface impacts recorded along Lakewood Dr and W Flowers Rd were not isolated to a single sensor anomaly. No public reports of structural collapse or widespread treefall are recorded in the LSRs for Terry from this event.

Surface impacts should be treated as spatially focused. The pair of reports from Lakewood Dr at 6:39 PM CDT suggests a narrow path of heavier surface accumulation within the town. Damage recorded in claims or contractor assessments will likely be concentrated along the line that connects the W Flowers Rd observation at 6:15 PM CDT and the Lakewood Dr observations at 6:39 PM CDT.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections on properties along W Flowers Rd and Lakewood Dr first. These locations produced spotter-verified hail at 6:15 PM CDT and 6:39 PM CDT. Start with vehicle surfaces, soft metal fixtures, and roof edges on the homes immediately adjacent to those streets. Photograph impact points with a location-aware device and capture at least three angles per damaged element.