Where Can Roofers Find Hail Maps After a Storm? Free and Paid Options

Short answer: the free starting point is the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) storm reports page, which lists each day's preliminary hail reports with size, time and location and downloads as CSV or KML. For hail swath maps you can canvass from, published prices checked November 6, 2026 run from $29.99 a month for HailDrive to $349 to $649 a year for GAF WeatherHub, depending on GAF certification; HailTrace and Interactive Hail Maps do not list paid-plan prices on the pages we checked.

After a hailstorm, the roofer who knows which streets actually took hail gets to the right doors first. This post covers the free NOAA sources, what paid hail map services publish about price, and how to turn a map into a canvassing list.

What free hail data can a roofer use?

NOAA publishes two free sources, and they answer different questions.

• SPC storm reports (spc.noaa.gov). A daily list of tornado, hail and wind reports, each with time, location, county, coordinates and a comment. Hail size is recorded in hundredths of an inch, so 175 means 1.75 inches. Each day downloads as CSV or KML for Google Earth. SPC labels every report preliminary.
• NCEI Storm Events Database (ncei.noaa.gov). The official historical record of severe weather. On November 6, 2026 its search page listed coverage from January 1950 to May 2026, so it is the place to check a property's storm history for a claim file, not the place to find yesterday's storm.

Point reports show where someone saw hail, not the full path; two reports a few miles apart do not tell you whether the neighborhood between them was hit. Paid swath maps, which estimate hail across the storm path from radar, fill that gap.

What do paid hail map services cost?

Only some vendors publish prices. Each vendor's own page on November 6, 2026:

Interactive Hail Maps says it does not offer free trials during hail season, so set up any paid service in the off season.

RoofMetric's Solo plan ($29 a month) includes NOAA hail history and alerts on your saved customer addresses, alongside satellite measurement, estimates and CRM.

How do you turn a hail map into a canvassing list?

Start from confirmed reports, narrow to the streets most likely to have damage, and have a number ready before anyone knocks:

1. Confirm the storm. Check the SPC reports for the date, hail sizes and times.
2. Draw the area. Use a swath map, or the spread of SPC reports, to pick a few neighborhoods rather than a whole county.
3. Call your own customers first. Past customers in the path already trust you.
4. Measure before you knock. Pull satellite measurements for the target streets so a homeowner who asks about cost gets a real range. Our page on AI roof detection shows how a roof can be traced in seconds from the address. The AI Estimator's storm canvassing playbook covers the door-to-door side.
5. Check local rules. Many towns require a solicitation permit for door-to-door sales.
6. Log every door. Record who wants an inspection so follow-up starts that evening.

Is a hail map proof that a roof is damaged?

No: a hail map tells you where to look, not what you will find. SPC calls its reports preliminary, and GAF's WeatherHub page says its storm alerts are informational only and do not confirm roof damage. The proof is dated inspection photos of hits on shingles, soft metals and vents. When the claim comes back short, that documentation is what a supplement that gets approved is built on.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find free hail reports for my area?

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center publishes free daily storm reports at spc.noaa.gov, listing each hail report with time, location, county and size in hundredths of an inch. Each day downloads as CSV or KML. SPC labels all reports preliminary, so treat them as a guide to where hail fell, not a complete storm map.

How much does a hail map subscription cost for a roofer?

On vendor pages checked November 6, 2026, HailDrive costs $29.99 a month or $249.98 a year, and GAF WeatherHub costs $349 to $649 a year depending on GAF certification, with 3 users included. HailTrace offers a free plan but does not publish paid-plan prices, and the Interactive Hail Maps FAQ does not list plan prices.

Can a hail map be used as proof in an insurance claim?

Not on its own. A hail map shows where a storm likely dropped hail, but carriers decide claims on the condition of the roof. SPC reports are preliminary, and GAF says its WeatherHub alerts do not confirm damage. Use storm data as supporting context and build the claim on dated inspection photos of the actual damage.

How far back does NOAA hail history go?

The NCEI Storm Events Database listed coverage from January 1950 to May 2026 when we checked on November 6, 2026, so recent months are not in it yet. For recent storms, use the SPC daily reports; Interactive Hail Maps says its paid history goes back to January 2011.

Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports (format, report day, hail size units, preliminary status); NCEI Storm Events Database (coverage dates); HailDrive pricing page; GAF WeatherHub page; Interactive Hail Maps FAQ; HailTrace plans page. All checked November 6, 2026. RoofMetric pricing.