- 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.
The 50 counties with the most hail reports
| # | County | Reports | Largest | 2 in or larger | Towns we serve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennington County, SD | 360 | 4.5 in | 62 | Box Elder |
| 2 | Tarrant County, TX | 290 | 5 in | 37 | Azle, Benbrook, Crowley |
| 3 | El Paso County, CO | 276 | 4 in | 26 | Monument |
| 4 | Denton County, TX | 223 | 5.9 in | 39 | Corinth, Highland Village, Northlake |
| 5 | Oklahoma County, OK | 202 | 2.75 in | 17 | Bethany, Choctaw, Del City |
| 6 | Cleveland County, OK | 196 | 3.41 in | 34 | |
| 7 | Yuma County, CO | 190 | 5.25 in | 30 | |
| 8 | Bexar County, TX | 164 | 5.5 in | 22 | Fair Oaks Ranch, Helotes, Leon Valley |
| 9 | Meade County, SD | 156 | 4 in | 23 | |
| 10 | St. Louis County, MN | 150 | 3 in | 15 | Hibbing |
| 11 | Weld County, CO | 148 | 3.25 in | 18 | Evans, Firestone, Frederick |
| 12 | Custer County, SD | 143 | 2.75 in | 11 | |
| 13 | Laramie County, WY | 136 | 4 in | 8 | |
| 14 | Tulsa County, OK | 134 | 3 in | 8 | Glenpool, Sand Springs |
| 15 | Dallas County, TX | 129 | 4 in | 14 | Addison, Glenn Heights, Seagoville |
| 16 | Collin County, TX | 124 | 3 in | 15 | Fairview, Murphy |
| 17 | Wichita County, TX | 123 | 5.33 in | 6 | Burkburnett |
| 18 | Travis County, TX | 118 | 3 in | 26 | Lago Vista, Lakeway, Manor |
| 19 | Tom Green County, TX | 115 | 4 in | 28 | |
| 20 | Comanche County, OK | 110 | 4 in | 17 | |
| 21 | Kit Carson County, CO | 109 | 2.75 in | 9 | |
| 22 | Cherry County, NE | 107 | 4 in | 14 | |
| 23 | Williamson County, TX | 102 | 4 in | 22 | Liberty Hill, Taylor |
| 24 | Ellis County, TX | 102 | 3.75 in | 13 | Ennis, Red Oak |
| 25 | Sherman County, KS | 100 | 3 in | 6 | |
| 26 | Crook County, WY | 96 | 3.25 in | 7 | |
| 27 | Cook County, IL | 96 | 2.75 in | 4 | Alsip, Bellwood, Blue Island |
| 28 | Hitchcock County, NE | 94 | 4.25 in | 14 | |
| 29 | Grayson County, TX | 94 | 2.5 in | 5 | |
| 30 | Harris County, TX | 92 | 2 in | 8 | Bellaire, Galena Park, Humble |
| 31 | Grady County, OK | 89 | 3.75 in | 26 | Chickasha |
| 32 | Polk County, IA | 89 | 3.25 in | 13 | Altoona, Bondurant, Clive |
| 33 | Cheyenne County, KS | 89 | 3 in | 6 | |
| 34 | Itasca County, MN | 89 | 2.75 in | 5 | |
| 35 | Arapahoe County, CO | 87 | 2.5 in | 3 | Greenwood Village |
| 36 | Adams County, CO | 85 | 2.75 in | 8 | Federal Heights |
| 37 | Lincoln County, CO | 84 | 4 in | 24 | |
| 38 | Campbell County, WY | 84 | 3 in | 7 | |
| 39 | Lawrence County, SD | 84 | 2.75 in | 7 | Spearfish |
| 40 | Dane County, WI | 84 | 2.5 in | 4 | DeForest, Middleton, Oregon |
| 41 | Ellis County, KS | 83 | 4 in | 17 | Hays |
| 42 | Goshen County, WY | 82 | 4.5 in | 12 | |
| 43 | Lincoln County, NE | 82 | 2.75 in | 15 | North Platte |
| 44 | Bell County, TX | 80 | 5.68 in | 10 | |
| 45 | Scott County, IA | 80 | 4 in | 14 | |
| 46 | Denver County, CO | 80 | 2.75 in | 5 | |
| 47 | Washington County, CO | 79 | 4 in | 37 | |
| 48 | Randall County, TX | 79 | 2.75 in | 12 | Canyon |
| 49 | Elbert County, CO | 78 | 3.5 in | 6 | |
| 50 | Crow Wing County, MN | 78 | 2.75 in | 8 | Brainerd |
The biggest hailstones, 2020 to 2024
The largest report in each county, top 15.
| Size | County | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 7.02 in | Swisher County, TX | 2024-06-02 |
| 6.42 in | Medina County, TX | 2021-04-28 |
| 6.12 in | Blanco County, TX | 2024-05-09 |
| 6 in | Loup County, NE | 2022-05-29 |
| 6 in | Pontotoc County, OK | 2024-03-14 |
| 6 in | Briscoe County, TX | 2024-06-02 |
| 6 in | Stevens County, MN | 2024-07-31 |
| 5.9 in | Denton County, TX | 2023-06-15 |
| 5.68 in | Bell County, TX | 2022-04-12 |
| 5.5 in | Bexar County, TX | 2021-05-03 |
| 5.5 in | Wheeler County, TX | 2023-06-13 |
| 5.33 in | Wichita County, TX | 2020-05-22 |
| 5.25 in | Yuma County, CO | 2023-08-08 |
| 5 in | Washington County, AR | 2020-05-04 |
| 5 in | Gage County, NE | 2022-06-11 |
Hail by state
| State | Reports | Counties with hail | Largest | County with the most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6,483 | 248 | 7.02 in | Tarrant County (290) |
| Kansas | 3,144 | 105 | 4.5 in | Sherman County (100) |
| Oklahoma | 2,722 | 77 | 6 in | Oklahoma County (202) |
| Nebraska | 2,567 | 93 | 6 in | Cherry County (107) |
| South Dakota | 2,132 | 66 | 4.5 in | Pennington County (360) |
| Minnesota | 2,102 | 87 | 6 in | St. Louis County (150) |
| Colorado | 1,968 | 47 | 5.25 in | El Paso County (276) |
| Iowa | 1,726 | 99 | 4 in | Polk County (89) |
| Missouri | 1,725 | 115 | 5 in | Greene County (67) |
| Illinois | 1,442 | 102 | 4 in | Cook County (96) |
| Wisconsin | 1,228 | 72 | 4.5 in | Dane County (84) |
| Arkansas | 1,127 | 73 | 5 in | Benton County (75) |
| North Dakota | 990 | 53 | 4.5 in | Morton County (48) |
| Ohio | 719 | 87 | 3.5 in | Franklin County (43) |
| Montana | 715 | 54 | 4 in | Yellowstone County (50) |
| Mississippi | 702 | 82 | 4.88 in | Rankin County (29) |
| Tennessee | 681 | 88 | 4 in | Williamson County (43) |
| Wyoming | 672 | 21 | 4.5 in | Laramie County (136) |
| Indiana | 661 | 86 | 4 in | Hamilton County (34) |
| Pennsylvania | 655 | 60 | 3 in | Butler County (56) |
| North Carolina | 636 | 95 | 4 in | Wake County (61) |
| Alabama | 622 | 66 | 4.5 in | Madison County (72) |
| Louisiana | 580 | 61 | 4 in | Caddo Parish (53) |
| Georgia | 574 | 137 | 4 in | Coweta County (20) |
| South Carolina | 568 | 46 | 3 in | Lexington County (50) |
| New Mexico | 552 | 30 | 3.5 in | Union County (48) |
| Virginia | 517 | 107 | 4 in | Loudoun County (36) |
| Kentucky | 492 | 108 | 3 in | Jefferson County (20) |
| Florida | 490 | 57 | 3 in | Seminole County (36) |
| Michigan | 468 | 75 | 4 in | Marquette County (48) |
| New York | 379 | 56 | 3 in | Saratoga County (32) |
| West Virginia | 265 | 49 | 2.5 in | Putnam County (24) |
| New Jersey | 229 | 20 | 2.5 in | Burlington County (41) |
| New Hampshire | 184 | 10 | 2 in | Cheshire County (37) |
| Arizona | 163 | 13 | 2.5 in | Maricopa County (43) |
| Maryland | 155 | 21 | 4 in | Washington County (15) |
| Massachusetts | 122 | 14 | 2 in | Worcester County (18) |
| Idaho | 105 | 31 | 2.75 in | Bonneville County (11) |
| California | 101 | 34 | 1.75 in | Santa Clara County (15) |
| Maine | 98 | 14 | 2.5 in | Aroostook County (22) |
| Utah | 95 | 23 | 2 in | Salt Lake County (14) |
| Oregon | 73 | 21 | 2.5 in | Deschutes County (16) |
| Vermont | 39 | 13 | 1.75 in | Orleans County (6) |
| Washington | 37 | 15 | 2.75 in | Stevens County (6) |
| Delaware | 22 | 3 | 2.25 in | Sussex County (10) |
| Rhode Island | 15 | 5 | 1.5 in | Washington County (7) |
| Nevada | 15 | 6 | 1.5 in | Clark County (6) |
| Hawaii | 2 | 2 | 1.25 in | Honolulu County (1) |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1 | 1 in | District 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.
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.