North Carolina hail
Every recorded hail report since 1955 · 100 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 9,900 hail reports in North Carolina from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 271 a year since 2000. The costliest was the May 13, 2019 hail ($115 million in 2025 dollars). North Carolina ranks 13th of 52 states and territories by count and 13th of 51 per square mile.
Hail in North Carolina, 1955 to 2026
Hail records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 9,9001955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 271average
- Deaths
- 01 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $284Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008778 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hail reports common in North Carolina?
North Carolina averages about 271 hail reports a year since 2000, 13th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (778). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Carolina records 2036 hail reports since 1955, 13th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in North Carolina have the most hail reports?
Per square mile, New Hanover County leads North Carolina: 78 days with a hail report since 1955, 405.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Wake County has the most hail records (393 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is hail season in North Carolina?
53% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (3,188 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 39 · Feb 82 · Mar 674 · Apr 1,464 · May 3,188 · Jun 2,090 · Jul 1,291 · Aug 676 · Sep 287 · Oct 87 · Nov 15 · Dec 7 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
The costliest hail reports in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-13 | HailWilliams Xrds, Wake County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $115M |
| 1996-05-24 | HailNewton, Catawba County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $19M |
| 1997-09-11 | HailAsheville Airport, Henderson County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $17M |
| 2017-09-01 | HailFuquay Spgs, Wake County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $14M |
| 2015-04-08 | HailSutton, Franklin County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 1995-03-23 | HailNcz098 | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 2003-05-03 | HailLaurel Hill, Scotland County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 1994-05-03 | HailColumbus County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hail reports becoming more frequent in North Carolina?
North Carolina's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | North Carolina | United States | North Carolina's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 23 | 2,477 | 0.9% |
| 1960s | 55 | 7,651 | 0.7% |
| 1970s | 139 | 11,007 | 1.3% |
| 1980s | 864 | 26,555 | 3.3% |
| 1990s | 1,763 | 75,581 | 2.3% |
| 2000s | 3,763 | 137,396 | 2.7% |
| 2010s | 2,496 | 107,281 | 2.3% |
| 2020-26 | 797 | 56,491 | 1.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hail reports in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | HailFruitland, Henderson County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBald Mtn, Yancey County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | HailVanceboro, Craven County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | HailDortches, Nash County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | HailWestry, Nash County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | HailDortches, Nash County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | HailWoodley, Tyrrell County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-12 | HailMills River, Henderson County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-12 | HailBrightwater, Henderson County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-29 | HailChapel Hill, Orange County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-29 | HailChapel Hill, Orange County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-29 | HailMebane Hurdle Field Ar, Alamance County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for hail reports in North Carolina
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 11 declarations in North Carolina, 11 of them major disasters; the latest on March 3, 2021.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-03-03 | DR-4588 | Tropical Storm Eta | 19 |
| 2020-05-08 | DR-4543 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 19 |
| 2018-05-08 | DR-4364 | Tornado and Severe Storms | 2 |
| 2011-04-19 | DR-1969 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 20 |
| 2010-10-14 | DR-1942 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-Line Winds | 14 |
| 2010-02-02 | DR-1871 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 14 |
| 2008-10-08 | DR-1801 | Tropical Storm Hanna | 4 |
| 2000-01-31 | DR-1312 | Severe Winter Storm | 33 |
| 1998-03-22 | DR-1211 | Severe Storms Tornadoes, and Flooding | 7 |
| 1998-01-15 | DR-1200 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 10 |
| 1956-04-24 | DR-56 | Severe Storm | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- New Hanover County: the county's whole recordThe North Carolina county with the most hail reports per square mile
- Hail across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in North CarolinaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in North Carolina20,476 records
- Winter storms in North Carolina8,965 records
- Floods in North Carolina5,375 records