Wichita Falls, TX Hail Storm – July 2026

A severe hail storm tracked across Wichita Falls, Texas on July 5, 2026, producing a maximum hailstone of 3.52 inches and a sequence of radar-detected and NWS-warning segments from mid-afternoon into early evening.

What Happened

The event opened in the early afternoon with two spotters near central Wichita Falls reporting 1.0-inch hail at 1:38 PM CDT. NWS systems began issuing alerts shortly after. Over the next five hours the metro saw 18 NWS alerts between 1:41 PM and 6:12 PM CDT. Ten of those alerts were driven by dual-polarization radar detections of sizable hail, seven were issued as NWS warning only segments, and at least one additional alert incorporated a separate spotter submission.

Radar pulses intensified in waves. Mid-afternoon scans detected sub-inch to near-2-inch echoes before radar returns increased to multiple 2-inch-plus signatures in the late afternoon. Dual-polarization radar indicated discrete hail cores at 2.24 inches and 2.33 inches during the 3:30–6:15 PM window. Spotter observations remained concentrated in the central city during the opening phase and did not record the largest stones observed by radar.

Field reporting was limited but consistent. Two MPING entries at 1:38 PM CDT recorded 1.0-inch stones in the same general area. Multiple NWS warning-only alerts reported smaller hail sizes in peripheral sectors of the metro, while radar-detected pulses tracked northeastward across the Wichita Falls urban area in late afternoon and early evening.

Damage Assessment

Local storm reports show two spotter-verified hail measurements near central Wichita Falls at 1:38 PM CDT. Those reports are the only submitted ground measurements in the public local storm report set for this event. NWS warning-only segments noted frequent quarter-inch to one-inch hail in outer parts of the metro during separate warning cycles.

Radar-detected hail cores of 2.24 inches and 2.33 inches passed over portions of the city later in the afternoon. Those radar returns align with the timing and direction of the NWS alerts that encompassed east and northeast quadrants of the Wichita Falls metro. Public sensor and spotter networks did not, in the submitted reports, document widespread structural failures or concentrated large-loss corridors tied to those radar pulses.

Where damage is reported, it is currently limited to cosmetic impacts consistent with pebble to golf-ball sized stones in the central city during the 1:38 PM observations, and isolated denting risk where later radar cores tracked over exposed metal and parked vehicles in east–northeast neighborhoods. No consolidated large-loss assessments appear in the local storm report feed for July 5.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect roofs, siding, and exposed metalwork first in east and northeast Wichita Falls. Dual-polarization radar indicated the larger hail cores translated through those sectors in the late afternoon. Prioritize photographic documentation of hail hits on asphalt shingles, metal flashing, HVAC cowlings, and vehicle panels. Use 1:1-scale close-ups and a ruler in images to verify dent size where possible.