Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured. Every one the National Weather Service has filed, by year and by state, with the deadliest and costliest.
The deadliest and costliest on the map
The deadliest and costliest hail episodes on record.
- 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
- 424,439
- Deaths
- 29
- Injuries
- 1,689
- Damage
- $38 billion
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.
Every year
From 1996 the record holds 48 kinds of event with each office’s narrative; before that, tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind only, and before 1955 tornadoes alone.
Deaths each year
The deadliest
Deaths from this kind of event within each episode.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 17, 1991
- Flood and Hail in Texas, June 18 to 19, 2014Following an early morning high wind gust from a decaying shower in Castro County, thunderstorms erupted across the eastern plains of New Mexico this afternoon and produced some instances of severe hail and flooding as they overspread the western South Plains.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 22, 1995Dime size hail reported at Caddo Lake (Harrison and Marion County line.)
- Hail in Idaho, November 5, 2023Just before 3 pm a pickup truck crashed into a semi tractor trailer and both individuals in the pickup truck died due to the accident. One individual in the semi was airlifted to a local hospital. The accident occurred 1 mile south of Macks Inn on US Highway 20.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 9, 2017Deep moisture and instability over eastern New Mexico combined with northwest flow aloft to produce scattered strong to severe thunderstorms over the east-central and northeast plains.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 7 to 8, 2020A cold front passed through the area. Despite limited instability, there was a strong wind field aloft along with steep low-level lapse rates. This resulted in some damaging wind gusts with showers and thunderstorms.
- Hail in Nevada, August 23, 1995Strong thunderstorms continued to pound Nevada for a second day, especially extreme southern Nevada. A severe thunderstorm packing strong winds, torrential downpours and large hail hit southwest Las Vegas.
- Hail in California, March 6, 2000Hail ranging in diameter from the size of chick peas to golf balls, covered the ground to a depth of several inches. The Costa Mesa Freeway was closed for about 30 minutes. One motorist died when he lost control of his vehicle and was broadsided by semi-tractor trailer.
- Hail in Oregon, April 14, 2022A few strong showers developed producing small, but accumulating hail.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, April 3 to 4, 2011Two rounds of thunderstorms affected southern Wisconsin on April 3rd, as low pressure moved northeast from Iowa across Wisconsin.
- Hail in Nevada, May 27, 2008Scattered thunderstorms brought locally heavy rainfall and hail to the region.
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, November 26 to 27, 2019An anomalously cold upper low dropped south from British Columbia toward the coast of northwest California during late November. Wide spread wind damage occurred across the region, as well as mountain snow, and small hail near the coast.
- Tornadoes and Hail in New Mexico, June 1, 1992
- Hail in Texas, September 27, 1996Skywarn spotter reported golfball size hail. One person was killed, while taking refuge beneath a tree, by a large felled tree branch.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, August 4, 1998A line of strong thunderstorms accompanied by very strong winds moved through the Alamogordo area during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 28, 2000Tarrant County Thunderstorm Narrative The first tornado damage was reported near Castleberry High School, about four miles west of downtown Fort Worth (618 PM). Additional roof and tree damage occurred in Monticello neighborhood of River Oaks.
- Hail in Arizona, October 23, 2005Arizona Department of Public Safety reported 5 wrecks due to hail covered road on I-17 near Highway 69. There was one fatality in a wreck on Highway 69 between I-17 and Mayer.
- Hail in Arizona, December 8, 2008An upper level low with cold temperatures aloft caused instability resulting in thunderstorms with small hail across Southeast Arizona.
- Hail and High Wind in Arizona, March 21, 2011A powerful Pacific storm system produced high winds, including extreme downslope winds, and locally heavy high elevation snow over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, March 27, 2017Scattered to numerous thunderstorms developed early this afternoon as temperatures warmed into the 70s ahead of an approaching cool front. These produced isolated reports of large hail across Floyd County.
- Hail in West Virginia, April 9, 2021A few isolated severe thunderstorms produced hail over portions of the eastern West Virginia panhandle during the mid afternoon hours.
- Hail in Washington, May 19, 2022An upper level shortwave trough combined with instability allowed convection to develop in the afternoon. One traffic fatality on Interstate 5 near Kelso, Washington is attributed to hail accumulating on highway.
The costliest
Damage from this kind of event within each episode, in the dollars of its year.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arizona, October 5, 2010
- Flash Flood and Hail in Colorado, May 8, 2017
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, April 12 to 13, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 19, 2023
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, June 13, 2012
- Hail in Missouri, April 10, 2001
- Tornado and Flooding in Missouri, April 27 to 28, 2026
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, March 23, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, March 17, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 8, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, September 24 to 25, 2023
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 15, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 18, 2013
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 3, 2014
- Hail in Kentucky, April 16, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, June 25 to 26, 2006
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 28, 2021
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 28, 2013
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 24 to 25, 2021
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 29 to 30, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 12, 2014
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, July 20, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 11, 2016
- Hail in Nebraska, April 10, 2001
- Hail in Texas, November 4, 2016
The largest hail
The largest measurement in each episode, as filed. Early reports were often estimated.
- 9.99 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, May 6, 1961
- 8 in: Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 31, 1958
- 8 in: Hail in North Dakota, July 21, 1969
- 8 in: Hail in Arkansas, June 19, 1970
- 8 in: Tornado and Hail in Kansas, September 3, 1970
- 8 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 26, 1971
- 8 in: Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 23, 2010
- 7.75 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, September 15, 2010
- 7.02 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, June 2, 2024
- 7 in: Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, September 27, 1959
- 7 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 30, 1961
- 7 in: Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Nebraska, June 22 to 24, 2003
- 6.88 in: Hail in South Dakota, August 21, 2007
- 6.6 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 10, 2026
- 6.42 in: Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, April 28, 2021
- 6.12 in: Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 9, 2024
- 6 in: Hail in Kansas, July 12, 1958
- 6 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 17, 1959
- 6 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 16, 1960
- 6 in: Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 23, 1961
- 6 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 27, 1962
- 6 in: Tornado and Hail in Montana, July 11, 1965
- 6 in: Hail in South Dakota, June 22, 1968
- 6 in: Hail in Minnesota, July 4, 1968
- 6 in: Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, June 3, 1971
By state
| State or waters | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 55,544 | 7 | 319 | $14 billion |
| Kansas | 40,229 | 0 | 130 | $938 million |
| Oklahoma | 31,601 | 0 | 36 | $662 million |
| Nebraska | 25,051 | 0 | 99 | $3.0 billion |
| Missouri | 20,443 | 0 | 9 | $2.1 billion |
| South Dakota | 17,011 | 0 | 65 | $254 million |
| Iowa | 15,950 | 4 | 134 | $585 million |
| Minnesota | 15,756 | 0 | 30 | $1.1 billion |
| Colorado | 15,490 | 0 | 221 | $5.0 billion |
| Arkansas | 12,515 | 0 | 52 | $247 million |
| Illinois | 12,331 | 0 | 47 | $237 million |
| North Dakota | 10,026 | 0 | 32 | $795 million |
| North Carolina | 9,900 | 0 | 1 | $203 million |
| Wisconsin | 9,265 | 1 | 43 | $1.1 billion |
| Ohio | 9,155 | 0 | 13 | $958 million |
| Georgia | 8,810 | 0 | 17 | $411 million |
| Mississippi | 8,457 | 0 | 19 | $752 million |
| Montana | 8,391 | 0 | 7 | $134 million |
| Alabama | 8,096 | 0 | 1 | $23 million |
| Indiana | 7,627 | 0 | 3 | $93 million |
| Tennessee | 7,175 | 0 | 15 | $40 million |
| South Carolina | 6,692 | 0 | 47 | $92 million |
| Kentucky | 6,621 | 1 | 9 | $626 million |
| Louisiana | 6,412 | 0 | 8 | $229 million |
| Virginia | 6,183 | 1 | 7 | $68 million |
| Michigan | 6,036 | 0 | 8 | $446 million |
| Florida | 5,668 | 0 | 8 | $53 million |
| Pennsylvania | 5,524 | 0 | 1 | $12 million |
| New Mexico | 5,297 | 3 | 64 | $150 million |
| New York | 5,067 | 0 | 90 | $118 million |
| Wyoming | 4,924 | 0 | 14 | $132 million |
| West Virginia | 3,144 | 1 | 3 | $33 million |
| Maryland | 1,580 | 0 | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Massachusetts | 1,547 | 0 | 2 | $3.6 million |
| Arizona | 1,321 | 3 | 23 | $2.8 billion |
| Maine | 1,222 | 0 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| New Jersey | 1,154 | 0 | 0 | $17 million |
| Idaho | 1,113 | 2 | 17 | $34 million |
| New Hampshire | 960 | 0 | 0 | $36,000 |
| California | 936 | 2 | 49 | $220 million |
| Oregon | 856 | 1 | 11 | $85 million |
| Vermont | 836 | 0 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| Connecticut | 691 | 0 | 1 | $403,000 |
| Utah | 638 | 0 | 11 | $7.0 million |
| Washington | 395 | 1 | 16 | $220 million |
| Nevada | 329 | 2 | 3 | $106 million |
| Delaware | 159 | 0 | 0 | $420,000 |
| Rhode Island | 140 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 81 | 0 | 1 | $542,000 |
| District of Columbia | 38 | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| Alaska | 28 | 0 | 0 | $15,000 |
| Hawaii | 22 | 0 | 0 | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
Every kind of event
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Hail
- Flash Flood
- High Wind
- Winter Storm
- Drought
- Winter Weather
- Tornado
- Heavy Snow
- Flood
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Heat
- Heavy Rain
- Strong Wind
- Excessive Heat
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Lightning
- Dense Fog
- Blizzard
- Frost/Freeze
- Ice Storm
- High Surf
- Funnel Cloud
- Wildfire
- Tropical Storm
- Waterspout
- Coastal Flood
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Debris Flow
- Hurricane (Typhoon)
- Dust Storm
- Rip Current
- Storm Surge/Tide
- Marine High Wind
- Sleet
- Avalanche
- Marine Hail
- Astronomical Low Tide
- Marine Tropical Storm
- Tropical Depression
- Freezing Fog
- Lakeshore Flood
- Dust Devil
- Marine Strong Wind
- Dense Smoke
- Marine Hurricane/Typhoon
- Volcanic Ashfall
- Seiche
- Sneakerwave
- Volcanic Ash
- Tsunami
- Marine Tropical Depression
- Marine Dense Fog
- Northern Lights
- Marine Lightning
- Hurricane
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.