Erie, PA Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Erie, PA on September 2, 2026, producing 2.19-inch hail and triggering 137 NWS alerts across the metro. The event combined multiple NWS warning-only messages with numerous dual-polarization radar detections.

What Happened

NWS issued the first advisory at 6:33 AM EDT for 1.00-inch hail and continued issuing warning-only alerts through the day, totaling 137 alerts across the aggregate track. Early radar-detected hail signatures appeared in the morning, with dual-polarization radar reporting 1.5-inch returns shortly after 7 AM. Activity quieted through mid-day and intensified in the late afternoon and early evening, when radar-derived hail detections ranged from roughly 1.1 to 1.75 inches at several times between 4:22 PM and 7:30 PM.

Field observations accompanied the radar record. An mPING submission at 5:02 PM EDT reported half-dollar sized hail, recorded as 1.25 inches. A social media photo at 6:08 PM EDT showed half-dollar sized stones at the surface. Around 6:25 PM EDT a spotter reported ping pong ball-sized hail near Timberville, VA; that observation was logged as 1.50 inches with time estimated from radar. The collection of spotter-verified size reports aligns with the late-afternoon radar intensification across the aggregated warning area.

Radar detections and NWS warning-only alerts continued into the night, with additional dual-polarization returns noted after 7 PM and isolated radar-derived hail points shortly after midnight. The combined timeline shows a multi-wave storm complex that produced intermittent but persistent hail signatures through early September 3.

Damage Assessment

Field reports for this aggregate event documented hail sizes ranging from 0.75 to 1.50 inches in multiple submissions and photos. Reported surface evidence in the data set is limited to size observations and imagery; there were no Local Storm Reports in this collection that described measured structural collapse or large-scale infrastructure failure.

Specific observations include two independent spotter-verified half-dollar submissions and a documented ping pong ball-sized report near Timberville, VA. An mPING entry at 5:29 PM EDT logged dime-sized hail at 0.75 inches. These clustered reports correspond to the late-afternoon radar signatures and are concentrated along the storm’s transit through several metro and nearby zones. Where half-dollar and larger stones were reported, property inspections will be warranted for impact to vehicle paint, rooftop shingles, skylights, and exposed HVAC units.

Insurance claims or contractor reports tied directly to this aggregated dataset were not provided in the field reports used here. Any site-level damage conclusions should use on-the-ground inspection notes and photographic evidence matched to the local observation times.

Erie, PA Hail Storm – September 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 137

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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