Rainelle, WV Hail Storm – September 2026

A hail storm tracked through Rainelle, West Virginia on September 21, 2026, producing stones up to 1.84 inches and prompting repeated NWS warnings and radar hail detections. The event began in mid-afternoon and continued into the early evening across Fayette County and adjacent highlands.

What Happened

NWS warning activity began at 12:43 PM EDT and continued with multiple warning-only alerts through the evening, totaling 42 alerts associated with this storm. Dual-polarization radar first flagged hail signatures at 2:16 PM EDT with an estimated 1.19-inch signature, followed by additional radar-detected hail signatures at 3:12 PM, 3:35 PM, 4:42 PM, 5:11 PM, 5:15 PM, 6:08 PM, 7:12 PM, and 7:26 PM EDT. Those radar detections were interleaved with NWS warning-only updates that tracked the storm as it moved across the Rainelle metro area.

Field observers provided ground-truth detail for the sequence. At 2:53 PM EDT, spotters near Meadows of Dan reported nickel-sized hail, about 0.88 inches. At 3:32 PM EDT, multiple spotters near Endicott reported hail roughly 1.25 inches in diameter. Around 5:39 PM EDT a spotter on True Road in Pipestem reported quarter-sized hail, or about 1.00 inch, and an mPING submission at 5:42 PM EDT corroborated a 1.00-inch observation. Radar and spotter reports align on a multi-hour path from the higher ridges toward lower valleys, with the strongest radar signatures concentrated in the late afternoon to early evening period.

Damage Assessment

Local storm reports for this event document concentrated hail on the ground in Endicott, Meadows of Dan, and along True Road in Pipestem. Multiple spotters in Endicott recorded 1.25-inch stones at 3:32 PM EDT, and observers in Meadows of Dan recorded nickel-sized hail at 2:53 PM EDT. The Pipestem report at 5:39 PM EDT recorded 1.00-inch hail on True Road.

Submitted local storm reports did not contain widespread accounts of structural roof failures or large-scale vehicle losses in the collected dataset. Reported sizes in Endicott are consistent with potential localized denting to vehicles and bruising of asphalt shingles where half-dollar-sized stones were observed. Meadows of Dan reports indicate smaller hail that primarily affected exposed vegetation and outdoor equipment in the immediate area. Field reports from Pipestem document accumulation on road surfaces and lawns but do not include verified structural damage in the report text.

Contractors performing a visual triage in the affected towns should expect the highest likelihood of serviceable claims where spotters recorded half-dollar-sized hail and where radar-detected signatures overlapped populated parcels. Prioritize properties downwind of Endicott and along the observed track between the higher ridgelines and Pipestem.

What Contractors Should Know

Focus initial inspections on the Endicott area and corridors between Meadows of Dan and Pipestem. Start with a curbside photographic survey noting vehicle panels, guttering, and skylights. Use a measured reference in every photo. For roofs, look for bruising, granule loss, and circular impact marks on asphalt shingles consistent with the 1.25-inch reports near Endicott. Document locations on individual properties with GPS or clear address information tied to the inspection photos.