Hail in District of Columbia
Every hail event the National Weather Service has filed in District of Columbia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
The most significant on the map
The most significant hail episodes in District of Columbia.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 38
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $500
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, August 7, 2000A thunderstorm which produced winds in excess of 55 MPH and large hail moved across the District between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM EDT on the 7th. In Southeast, 256 trees were downed onto roads, cars, buildings, and phone and power poles.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in District of Columbia, July 19, 2016A boundary stalled over the area. Warm and humid conditions led to an unstable atmosphere while an upper-level trough passed through the area. The forcing from the boundary front combined with the instability to trigger thunderstorms.
- Hail in District of Columbia, June 2, 2019A cold front approached the region during the day of June 2nd, and that combined with broadly falling heights and increasing instability and wind shear, led to the development of scattered strong to locally severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in District of Columbia, August 20, 2019A mesoscale convective system (MCS) and its associated energy was moving across central West Virginia on the morning of August 20th.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, April 21, 2017A cold front moved through the area. Ahead of the boundary, a southwest flow led to warm and humid conditions. The unstable atmosphere from warm and humid conditions along with stronger winds aloft caused some storms to become severe.
- Flash Flood and Hail in District of Columbia, August 11, 2004Penny sized hail reported at the Lincoln Memorial.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in District of Columbia, June 26, 2009A potent cold front combined with plenty of instability to trigger showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms were severe, producing damaging winds and large hail.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, July 10, 1978
- Hail and Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, June 2, 1998The combination of an upper-level disturbance, increasing atmospheric shear, and ample instability set the stage for scattered severe weather across the District of Columbia during the evening.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, June 17, 2019While large scale forcing was weak across the region on June 17th, a zone of differential heating and a weak lee trough near the Blue Ridge, when combined with local terrain and sea-breeze circulations, were enough to generate scattered thunderstorms across the region during the…
- Hail in District of Columbia, July 10, 1975
- Hail in District of Columbia, May 25, 1979
- Hail in District of Columbia, June 24, 1985
- Hail in District of Columbia, June 13, 1987
- Hail in District of Columbia, July 11, 1987
- Hail in District of Columbia, May 16, 1988
- Hail in District of Columbia, May 5, 1993Severe thunderstorms moved through northern Virginia and Central Maryland as well as the District of Columbia. The thunderstorms dropped one inch sized hail near Bolling Air Force Base.
- Hail in District of Columbia, May 10, 2000A cold front passed through the Washington D.C. metropolitan area during the early evening hours of the 10th. Numerous thunderstorms erupted along and ahead of this front.
- Hail in District of Columbia, July 5, 2001A thunderstorm with large hail moved across the District between 4:45 and 5:30 PM EDT on the 5th. Marble to dime sized hail was reported on Capitol Hill. Marble sized hail was reported at the Navy Yard and Northeast Washington. Pea sized hail fell at the National Arboretum.
- Hail in District of Columbia, May 5, 2004Scattered thunderstorms produced penny size hail in the District of Columbia.
- Hail in District of Columbia, July 1, 2004A warm front lifted north of the District on the 1st. The afternoon airmass was very moist and unstable. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed over the region. Nickel size hail was reported in the Northeast.
- Hail in District of Columbia, April 24, 2011A southerly flow around high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean provided a warm and moist airmass across the region. A pressure trough combined with the warm and moist conditions to trigger showers and thunderstorms.
- Hail in District of Columbia, April 15, 2024Several hail-producing thunderstorms affected the Mid-Atlantic during the afternoon hours.
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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.