Storefront with broken windows covered by plywood boards

Where hail hits hardest: US counties ranked, 2020 to 2024

We counted every hail report in NOAA's Storm Events Database from 2020 through 2024. Here's where hail falls most often, where the biggest stones landed, and what it means for the glass in your home or shop.

Hail reports
41,760
Counties with hail
2,848
Reports of 2-inch hail or larger
4,570
Largest hailstone
7.02 in

Hail reports by year

2023 was the busiest year, with 11,750 reports.

20207,65920216,26220227,177202311,75020248,912

The 50 counties with the most hail reports

#CountyReportsLargest2 in or largerTowns we serve
1Pennington County, SD3604.5 in62 Box Elder
2Tarrant County, TX2905 in37 Azle, Benbrook, Crowley
3El Paso County, CO2764 in26 Monument
4Denton County, TX2235.9 in39 Corinth, Highland Village, Northlake
5Oklahoma County, OK2022.75 in17 Bethany, Choctaw, Del City
6Cleveland County, OK1963.41 in34
7Yuma County, CO1905.25 in30
8Bexar County, TX1645.5 in22 Fair Oaks Ranch, Helotes, Leon Valley
9Meade County, SD1564 in23
10St. Louis County, MN1503 in15 Hibbing
11Weld County, CO1483.25 in18 Evans, Firestone, Frederick
12Custer County, SD1432.75 in11
13Laramie County, WY1364 in8
14Tulsa County, OK1343 in8 Glenpool, Sand Springs
15Dallas County, TX1294 in14 Addison, Glenn Heights, Seagoville
16Collin County, TX1243 in15 Fairview, Murphy
17Wichita County, TX1235.33 in6 Burkburnett
18Travis County, TX1183 in26 Lago Vista, Lakeway, Manor
19Tom Green County, TX1154 in28
20Comanche County, OK1104 in17
21Kit Carson County, CO1092.75 in9
22Cherry County, NE1074 in14
23Williamson County, TX1024 in22 Liberty Hill, Taylor
24Ellis County, TX1023.75 in13 Ennis, Red Oak
25Sherman County, KS1003 in6
26Crook County, WY963.25 in7
27Cook County, IL962.75 in4 Alsip, Bellwood, Blue Island
28Hitchcock County, NE944.25 in14
29Grayson County, TX942.5 in5
30Harris County, TX922 in8 Bellaire, Galena Park, Humble
31Grady County, OK893.75 in26 Chickasha
32Polk County, IA893.25 in13 Altoona, Bondurant, Clive
33Cheyenne County, KS893 in6
34Itasca County, MN892.75 in5
35Arapahoe County, CO872.5 in3 Greenwood Village
36Adams County, CO852.75 in8 Federal Heights
37Lincoln County, CO844 in24
38Campbell County, WY843 in7
39Lawrence County, SD842.75 in7 Spearfish
40Dane County, WI842.5 in4 DeForest, Middleton, Oregon
41Ellis County, KS834 in17 Hays
42Goshen County, WY824.5 in12
43Lincoln County, NE822.75 in15 North Platte
44Bell County, TX805.68 in10
45Scott County, IA804 in14
46Denver County, CO802.75 in5
47Washington County, CO794 in37
48Randall County, TX792.75 in12 Canyon
49Elbert County, CO783.5 in6
50Crow Wing County, MN782.75 in8 Brainerd

The biggest hailstones, 2020 to 2024

The largest report in each county, top 15.

SizeCountyDate
7.02 inSwisher County, TX2024-06-02
6.42 inMedina County, TX2021-04-28
6.12 inBlanco County, TX2024-05-09
6 inLoup County, NE2022-05-29
6 inPontotoc County, OK2024-03-14
6 inBriscoe County, TX2024-06-02
6 inStevens County, MN2024-07-31
5.9 inDenton County, TX2023-06-15
5.68 inBell County, TX2022-04-12
5.5 inBexar County, TX2021-05-03
5.5 inWheeler County, TX2023-06-13
5.33 inWichita County, TX2020-05-22
5.25 inYuma County, CO2023-08-08
5 inWashington County, AR2020-05-04
5 inGage County, NE2022-06-11

Hail by state

StateReportsCounties with hailLargestCounty with the most
Texas6,4832487.02 inTarrant County (290)
Kansas3,1441054.5 inSherman County (100)
Oklahoma2,722776 inOklahoma County (202)
Nebraska2,567936 inCherry County (107)
South Dakota2,132664.5 inPennington County (360)
Minnesota2,102876 inSt. Louis County (150)
Colorado1,968475.25 inEl Paso County (276)
Iowa1,726994 inPolk County (89)
Missouri1,7251155 inGreene County (67)
Illinois1,4421024 inCook County (96)
Wisconsin1,228724.5 inDane County (84)
Arkansas1,127735 inBenton County (75)
North Dakota990534.5 inMorton County (48)
Ohio719873.5 inFranklin County (43)
Montana715544 inYellowstone County (50)
Mississippi702824.88 inRankin County (29)
Tennessee681884 inWilliamson County (43)
Wyoming672214.5 inLaramie County (136)
Indiana661864 inHamilton County (34)
Pennsylvania655603 inButler County (56)
North Carolina636954 inWake County (61)
Alabama622664.5 inMadison County (72)
Louisiana580614 inCaddo Parish (53)
Georgia5741374 inCoweta County (20)
South Carolina568463 inLexington County (50)
New Mexico552303.5 inUnion County (48)
Virginia5171074 inLoudoun County (36)
Kentucky4921083 inJefferson County (20)
Florida490573 inSeminole County (36)
Michigan468754 inMarquette County (48)
New York379563 inSaratoga County (32)
West Virginia265492.5 inPutnam County (24)
New Jersey229202.5 inBurlington County (41)
New Hampshire184102 inCheshire County (37)
Arizona163132.5 inMaricopa County (43)
Maryland155214 inWashington County (15)
Massachusetts122142 inWorcester County (18)
Idaho105312.75 inBonneville County (11)
California101341.75 inSanta Clara County (15)
Maine98142.5 inAroostook County (22)
Utah95232 inSalt Lake County (14)
Oregon73212.5 inDeschutes County (16)
Vermont39131.75 inOrleans County (6)
Washington37152.75 inStevens County (6)
Delaware2232.25 inSussex County (10)
Rhode Island1551.5 inWashington County (7)
Nevada1561.5 inClark County (6)
Hawaii221.25 inHonolulu County (1)
District of Columbia111 inDistrict of Columbia (1)

What hail does to glass

The National Weather Service treats hail of 1 inch, about the size of a quarter, as severe. Golf-ball hail is 1.75 inches, baseball hail 2.75 inches and softball hail 4 inches. Below an inch, glass usually survives. Above it, skylights, storefronts and older windows are at real risk.

  • Tempered glass, used in doors and storefronts, shatters into small pieces when it breaks, leaving the opening wide open.
  • Laminated glass cracks but stays in place, so it keeps weather and intruders out until it's replaced.
  • Insulated double-pane windows can lose the outer pane, or keep both panes but lose the seal and fog up weeks later.
  • Aluminum frames and door rails dent, which can stop doors from closing and locking properly.

After a hailstorm: a checklist

  • Photograph every broken or cracked pane before cleaning up, for your insurer.
  • Secure open or broken openings right away. Board-up keeps rain and intruders out.
  • Check doors open, close and lock normally. Dented frames often show up here first.
  • Look at double-pane windows again in a few weeks. A failed seal shows up as fog between the panes.
  • Get a written estimate before work starts.

Get a free estimate

How we built this report

The figures come from NOAA's Storm Events Database detail files for 2020 through 2024. We counted every event recorded as Hail at county level, by county, and kept the largest hail size recorded in each. County names come from the US Census Bureau. A handful of records that didn't match a current county were left out.

A report is an observation, not a storm, so one storm can produce many reports. Counts also depend on how many people are around to see and report hail, so busy metro counties tend to rank higher than empty rural ones with the same weather.

You're welcome to cite or share these figures with a link to this page.

Questions

Which US county had the most hail reports from 2020 to 2024?

Pennington County, South Dakota, with 360 hail reports in NOAA's Storm Events Database, followed by Tarrant County and Denton County in Texas and El Paso County in Colorado.

What was the biggest hailstone in this period?

The largest report in the data is a 7.02-inch hailstone in Swisher County, Texas, on June 2, 2024.

Does a hail report mean there was damage?

Not always. A report records hail that was seen and measured. Stones under an inch rarely break glass, but larger ones can, especially on skylights, storefronts and older windows.

Can I use this data?

Yes. You're welcome to cite or share these figures, as long as you link back to this page.

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