Florida, 1996

Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996

March 30, 1996 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Hail, most the size of baseballs and few the size of softballs, severely damaged the roofs and knocked out windows in nearly 600 homes in Lake Wales. The local fire station reported hail covered the ground nearly six inches deep during the peak of the hailstorm which lasted 15 minutes.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$24 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.

Hail, most the size of baseballs and few the size of softballs, severely damaged the roofs and knocked out windows in nearly 600 homes in Lake Wales. The local fire station reported hail covered the ground nearly six inches deep during the peak of the hailstorm which lasted 15 minutes. Most of the damage was on the north side of homes and buildings. Estimated damage to homes and businesses was nearly $15 million dollars.Hail severely damaged the surfaces and knocked out the windshields of up to 3,000 vehicles in the Lake Wales area. Hail damage to vehicles was estimated at nearly $9 million dollars.Several trees were stripped of leaves and small branches by mostly baseball sized hail in the Lake Wales area.

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:46 UTC.

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Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Polk

When
March 30, 3:45 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Polk County, Lake Wales
Measured
4.5 in hail
Property damage
$24 million
Coordinates
27.900, -81.580

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575246.