Florida, 1996

Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996

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

Hail the size of baseballs covered the ground along a rural section of State Road 60. A few businesses and homes incurred roof and glass damage, while several vehicles incurred paint damage from the large hail.

Where it happened

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  • Tropical storms and surge
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  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
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 the size of baseballs covered the ground along a rural section of State Road 60. A few businesses and homes incurred roof and glass damage, while several vehicles incurred paint damage from the large hail.

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:56 UTC.

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Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Polk

When
March 30, 3:55 PM EST
Where
Polk County, 5 mi E of Lake Wales
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$150,000
Coordinates
27.900, -81.500

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: 5575247.