Bellevue, MI Hail Storm – September 2026

A hail-producing storm moved through Bellevue, MI on September 3, 2026, producing 1.67-inch hail and prompting 46 NWS alerts from mid-morning into the evening.

What Happened

NWS products and radar-derived detections show a long-lived hail episode across the Bellevue metro on September 3. The sequence began with a dual-polarization radar detection at 8:32 AM EDT indicating larger hail returned on radar. A sustained run of NWS warning-only alerts followed from late morning through late afternoon, with repeated warning updates clustered around the early- to mid-afternoon hours. A spotter operating within the Bellevue area reported 0.75-inch hail via mPING at 2:54 PM EDT. Radar again detected elevated hail signatures near 8:14 PM EDT.

NWS warnings in the sequence carried hail size calls ranging from 0.75 inch to 1.0 inch in many warning polygons. The two radar-detected alerts bookended the day and showed the strongest radar returns. The local spotter report provides surface confirmation for hail at a late-afternoon timestamp within the Bellevue warning area.

Damage Assessment

Surface impact reports tied to Bellevue were limited. The NWS spotter submission at 2:54 PM EDT documented 0.75-inch hail at a specific location in Bellevue; no follow-up local storm reports documenting structural damage, widespread vehicle denting, or crop losses were received in the NWS feed for Bellevue during this event. Radar indicates higher-intensity echoes at two separate times, but ground-truth reports within the city are sparse.

Inspectors working Bellevue should expect isolated, reportable hail impact where radar-detected swaths passed over developed areas. The single spotter-verified hail observation suggests localized surface strike rather than uniformly distributed damage across the metro. Any evidence of denting or shingle bruising should be documented with time-stamped photos and exact addresses to correlate with the warning-area polygons issued that day.

What Contractors Should Know

Schedule initial exterior assessments focused on vulnerable assets at addresses inside the NWS warning area for Bellevue on September 3. Prioritize residential asphalt shingles, exposed metal flashing, HVAC condensers, soft-top vehicles, and polycarbonate skylights. When documenting, record the street address, compass orientation of visible damage, and the 2:54 PM EDT spotter timestamp if the property lies near that reported location.

Perform a close inspection of gutters, soffits, and roof vents for impact marks and micro-fractures. Use a 3x magnification or tactile inspection to locate granule loss or embedded sharp impressions in shingle surfaces. For vehicles, photograph full-vehicle context plus tight shots of dent fields and measure dent diameters where possible. For claims, pair on-site imagery with the sequence of NWS warning polygons and the spotter time to support timing alignment.