Freedom, OK Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Freedom, Oklahoma on September 19, 2026, producing 2.34-inch stones and prompting 58 NWS alerts across the warning area.

What Happened

The event began in the late afternoon with the first NWS alerts issued around 2:40 PM CDT. NWS warnings continued through the evening for portions of the warning area, totaling 58 alerts tied to the evolving convective line. Dual-polarization radar returned growing hail signatures through mid-afternoon and late afternoon, including multiple radar-detected 1.4–2.3-inch returns between about 3:30 PM and 4:50 PM CDT. Radar hits above 1.5 inches recurred in the 5:00–6:50 PM CDT window as the storm complex moved eastward.

Spotter reports and public submissions arrived in the early evening. At 6:45 PM CDT, observers reported quarter-size hail between Olsburg and Fostoria. At 7:12 PM CDT, an mPING submission noted quarter-size stones. Spotters at 7:17 PM CDT described most hail as quarter to golf ball size with a few 2-inch stones. Those on-the-ground observations coincided with later radar detections of elevated returns and localized cores that persisted into the early overnight hours.

Damage Assessment

Local storm reports recorded stone sizes and locations but contained few formal damage narratives. Multiple spotter-verified submissions at 7:17 PM CDT described a mix of quarter to golf ball hail with isolated 2-inch stones. Earlier spotter reports at 6:45 PM CDT placed quarter-size hail between Olsburg and Fostoria; a separate 7:12 PM CDT mPING submission corroborated quarter-size hail near the same corridor.

Radar-detected hail cores overlapped those spotter corridors during the late-afternoon to early-evening period. Observations indicate surface impacts concentrated along the eastward-moving hail track through the Freedom warning area and into adjacent rural roads and fields. The collected reports do not include widespread structural collapse or aggregate vehicle-loss reports within the submitted local storm reports. Any photo-verified roof or vehicle damage for specific addresses was not included in the field reports supplied with these observations.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect roofing systems for localized impact clusters where spotters reported larger stones. Start with hip and ridge cap shingles, high-profile architectural shingle faces, and valley areas. Focus on shingle granule loss, fractured tabs, and bruising along windward-facing slopes and on the lower third of roof planes where hail drops accelerate before ground contact.

Check vehicles, farm equipment, and HVAC units near the identified corridor between Olsburg and Fostoria and through Freedom. The mix of quarter to golf ball-size hail with isolated 2-inch stones can cause denting to sheet metal, pitting to aluminum condenser fins, and cracked plastic trim. Photograph damage with scale and GPS-enabled timestamps. Note exact GPS coordinates when possible and record the observer time — for example, spotter reports at 6:45 PM CDT and 7:17 PM CDT — to link field observations to radar returns.

Freedom, OK Hail Storm – September 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 59

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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