PlainHazard

The largest hail in the U.S. record

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, hail reports 1996 to 2026-06-30

The largest hailstone reported since 1996 measured 8.00 inches, on 2010-07-23 in South Dakota. 35 states have recorded hail of 4 inches or more since 1996; South Dakota and Kansas hold the largest.

By  · Updated  · How this was measured

The largest hailstone recorded in each state since 1996

Alabama: 5.38 inchesArizona: 3.00 inchesArkansas: 5.00 inchesCalifornia: 3.00 inchesColorado: 5.25 inchesConnecticut: 2.50 inchesDelaware: 2.50 inchesFlorida: 4.50 inchesGeorgia: 4.25 inchesHawaii: 4.25 inchesIdaho: 2.75 inchesIllinois: 6.60 inchesIndiana: 4.50 inchesIowa: 5.50 inchesKansas: 7.75 inchesKentucky: 4.50 inchesLouisiana: 4.50 inchesMaine: 2.75 inchesMaryland: 4.50 inchesMassachusetts: 4.00 inchesMichigan: 4.50 inchesMinnesota: 6.00 inchesMississippi: 4.88 inchesMissouri: 6.00 inchesMontana: 4.50 inchesNebraska: 7.00 inchesNevada: 2.75 inchesNew Hampshire: 3.00 inchesNew Jersey: 2.75 inchesNew Mexico: 4.50 inchesNew York: 4.00 inchesNorth Carolina: 4.50 inchesNorth Dakota: 5.00 inchesOhio: 5.00 inchesOklahoma: 6.00 inchesOregon: 2.50 inchesPennsylvania: 4.00 inchesRhode Island: 2.75 inchesSouth Carolina: 4.50 inchesSouth Dakota: 8.00 inchesTennessee: 4.50 inchesTexas: 7.02 inchesUtah: 2.00 inchesVermont: 3.30 inchesVirginia: 4.50 inchesWashington: 3.00 inchesWest Virginia: 4.25 inchesWisconsin: 5.50 inchesWyoming: 4.50 inches
  • 2.00-3.00
  • 3.00-4.25
  • 4.25-4.50
  • 4.50-5.50
  • 5.50+
The largest hail report in each state, inches, 1996 on (reports of 2 inches or more, up to the 8.0-inch U.S. record; see the limits below). Each class holds about a fifth of the states; Alaska and Hawaii are drawn as insets, not to scale.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, hail records 1996 on. Search the record at NCEI.

The 20 largest hail reports since 1996

Largest hail reports, inches
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2010-07-23 HailVivian, SD 8.00 in hail 0 5 –
2010-09-15 HailWichita Airport, KS 7.75 in hail 0 0 $27K
2024-06-02 HailVigo Park, TX 7.02 in hail 0 0 –
2003-06-22 HailAurora, NE 7.00 in hail 0 0 $2.4M
2007-08-21 HailDante, SD 6.88 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-10 HailWest Kankakee, IL 6.60 in hail 0 0 –
2021-04-28 HailHondo, TX 6.42 in hail 0 0 –
2007-08-21 HailWagner, SD 6.13 in hail 0 0 –
2024-05-09 HailJohnson City, TX 6.12 in hail 0 0 $9.4M
2026-03-10 HailKankakee, IL 6.10 in hail 0 0 –
2004-05-24 HailMeadville, MO 6.00 in hail 0 0 $3.9M
2010-06-12 HailSunray, TX 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2011-05-23 HailGotebo, OK 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2011-05-24 HailTimken, KS 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2015-06-19 HailNisland, SD 6.00 in hail 0 0 $31K
2021-04-28 HailHondo, TX 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2022-05-29 HailAlmeria, NE 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2024-03-14 HailAda, OK 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2024-06-02 HailCaprock Canyons State Park, TX 6.00 in hail 0 0 –
2024-07-31 HailChokio, MN 6.00 in hail 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. Search the record at NCEI.

The largest hail in each state

Largest hail since 1996 and reports of 2 inches or more, by state
StateLargest, inchesReports of 4 in+Reports of 2 in+
South Dakota8.00671,046
Kansas7.751642,233
Texas7.023564,378
Nebraska7.001171,728
Illinois6.6034505
Oklahoma6.001061,761
Missouri6.0055950
Minnesota6.0036866
Iowa5.5035806
Wisconsin5.5022501
Alabama5.3821341
Colorado5.25551,140
Arkansas5.0057501
North Dakota5.0026613
Ohio5.004192
Mississippi4.8815266
Wyoming4.5030314
Montana4.5023480
Indiana4.5020279
Louisiana4.5012202
New Mexico4.5012300
Tennessee4.5012217
Kentucky4.5011279
North Carolina4.5011198
South Carolina4.5010154
Michigan4.507175
Maryland4.50460
Virginia4.504146
Florida4.503101
Georgia4.259213
Hawaii4.2513
West Virginia4.25169
New York4.002116
Pennsylvania4.002104
Massachusetts4.00127
Vermont3.30012
Arizona3.00022
California3.0007
New Hampshire3.00013
Washington3.0007
Idaho2.75014
Maine2.75019
New Jersey2.75010
Nevada2.7502
Rhode Island2.7502
Connecticut2.5007
Delaware2.5003
Oregon2.50014
Puerto Rico2.0001
Utah2.0005

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, hail reports 1996 to date.

How this was measured

Hail reports carry the diameter of the largest stone in inches, as reported to the National Weather Service. The ranking uses reports from 1996 on, when report handling became uniform, and reports of 2 inches or more for the state table (the record keeps every row of 2 inches or more as a separate record).

Sources

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026-06-30.

Limits

Sizes are reports, often estimated by comparison ("softball size"), not all measured. 6 reports of 8 inches or more before 1996, and one of 9.99 inches in 1961 (above the 8.0-inch U.S. record set at Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010), cannot be verified and are left out.

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