The April 17 to 18, 2026 tornado outbreak crossed the Midwest, Upper Midwest and Southern Plains. The largest hail of the entire event fell at Jet, Oklahoma on April 17: 3.25 inches, about the size of a baseball.
When hail and wind arrive together
Tornado outbreaks produce a messier claim than a straight hail event, because the vehicle can carry three kinds of damage at once:
- Impact damage from the hail itself
- Debris damage from wind-driven material, which leaves scratches and
paint breaks rather than clean dents
- Water intrusion if glass was broken while rain was still falling
Those are handled differently. Paintless dent repair fixes the first. The second may need paint. The third needs to be documented immediately, because mould and corrosion claims made weeks later get challenged.
Document before you clean
The instinct after a storm is to sweep the glass out and get the car covered. Do the photographs first:
1. Wide shots of the vehicle where it sat, with surroundings visible 2. Each panel straight on, then at a low angle so the dents catch the light 3. Every piece of broken glass, before it is removed 4. The interior, including carpet and headliner, if glass was broken
That set of photos is what stops a disputed claim from turning into your word against an adjuster's.
On the storm-chaser knock
After a large outbreak, crews appear fast. Some are legitimate. Before you sign anything:
- Ask who carries the warranty and for how long
- Ask whether the estimate was written under lighting or from photos
- Ask what happens if a supplement is needed mid-repair
- Do not sign a direction-to-pay you have not read
We are a catastrophe response team ourselves, so this is not an argument against travelling crews. It is an argument for asking the four questions.
If you need a vehicle scoped in the Oklahoma area, schedule an in-person estimate.