Hail size chart
IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service names for hail sizes, from pea to softball, with how often each size is reported in the US and the typical and record sizes in every state.
Published November 7, 2026 · Updated daily · Data through November 6, 2026
The most common size in US hail reports is 1.00″ (quarter): 41% of the 87,860 hail reports from 2016 to 2025 were that size, and 81% were 1 inch or larger, the National Weather Service's threshold for severe hail. The largest hailstone in the Storm Prediction Center record is 9.99″, in Whitley County, IN on May 6, 1961.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
Circles are drawn to scale with each other. Spotters estimate hail size by comparing stones with these objects, and the Storm Prediction Center records the size in inches.
Hail size chart: names, inches and how often each size is reported
| Size | Inches | Millimeters | Share of US hail reports at this size or larger, 2016–25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pea | 0.25″ | 6 | 100% |
| Marble or mothball | 0.50″ | 13 | 100% |
| Penny or dime | 0.75″ | 19 | 100% |
| Nickel | 0.88″ | 22 | 89% |
| Quarter | 1.00″ | 25 | 81% |
| Half dollar | 1.25″ | 32 | 40% |
| Ping pong ball or walnut | 1.50″ | 38 | 31% |
| Golf ball | 1.75″ | 44 | 22% |
| Hen egg or lime | 2.00″ | 51 | 10% |
| Tennis ball | 2.50″ | 64 | 5% |
| Baseball | 2.75″ | 70 | 3% |
| Teacup | 3.00″ | 76 | 1% |
| Grapefruit | 4.00″ | 102 | 0% |
| Softball | 4.50″ | 114 | 0% |
Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is “severe” under National Weather Service warning criteria. Below 0.75 inch, most hail is not reported to the Storm Prediction Center at all, so small sizes are undercounted.
Typical and record hail sizes by state
| State | Hail reports 2016–25 | Most common size | 1″ or larger | 2″ or larger | Largest on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 12,919 | 1.00″ quarter | 86% | 15% | 7.50″ Apr 14, 1965 |
| Kansas | 7,407 | 1.00″ quarter | 82% | 11% | 8.00″ Sep 3, 1970 |
| Oklahoma | 5,415 | 1.00″ quarter | 81% | 13% | 8.00″ Apr 26, 1971 |
| Nebraska | 5,365 | 1.00″ quarter | 88% | 13% | 7.00″ Jun 22, 2003 |
| Colorado | 4,491 | 1.00″ quarter | 85% | 13% | 5.25″ Aug 8, 2023 |
| South Dakota | 4,277 | 1.00″ quarter | 84% | 10% | 8.00″ Jul 23, 2010 |
| Missouri | 3,963 | 1.00″ quarter | 85% | 9% | 6.00″ May 24, 2004 |
| Minnesota | 3,844 | 1.00″ quarter | 79% | 9% | 6.00″ Jul 4, 1968 |
| Iowa | 3,384 | 1.00″ quarter | 78% | 8% | 8.00″ May 31, 1958 |
| Illinois | 2,896 | 1.00″ quarter | 77% | 7% | 6.10″ Mar 10, 2026 |
| North Dakota | 2,453 | 1.00″ quarter | 86% | 10% | 8.00″ Jul 21, 1969 |
| Wisconsin | 2,376 | 1.00″ quarter | 69% | 7% | 5.50″ Jun 7, 2007 |
| Arkansas | 2,047 | 1.00″ quarter | 78% | 10% | 9.00″ Mar 28, 1972 |
| Montana | 1,849 | 1.00″ quarter | 88% | 10% | 6.00″ Jul 11, 1965 |
| Wyoming | 1,610 | 1.00″ quarter | 85% | 9% | 5.00″ Jun 8, 1968 |
| Ohio | 1,597 | 1.00″ quarter | 64% | 4% | 5.00″ May 1, 2012 |
| Tennessee | 1,586 | 1.00″ quarter | 79% | 5% | 4.50″ Jun 4, 1985 |
| North Carolina | 1,465 | 1.00″ quarter | 77% | 4% | 4.50″ Apr 3, 1974 |
| Indiana | 1,459 | 1.00″ quarter | 73% | 7% | 9.99″ May 6, 1961 |
| New Mexico | 1,416 | 1.00″ quarter | 74% | 9% | 4.50″ Jun 26, 1982 |
| Kentucky | 1,328 | 1.00″ quarter | 76% | 7% | 5.00″ Apr 23, 1968 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,317 | 1.00″ quarter | 70% | 4% | 4.50″ Jul 26, 1956 |
| Mississippi | 1,308 | 1.00″ quarter | 87% | 7% | 5.00″ Apr 10, 1962 |
| Alabama | 1,259 | 1.00″ quarter | 84% | 10% | 5.38″ Mar 19, 2018 |
| Virginia | 1,190 | 1.00″ quarter | 87% | 5% | 5.00″ Apr 23, 1968 |
| Louisiana | 1,146 | 1.00″ quarter | 88% | 7% | 4.50″ Apr 21, 1995 |
| Georgia | 1,142 | 1.00″ quarter | 80% | 3% | 4.50″ Apr 25, 1988 |
| South Carolina | 1,092 | 1.00″ quarter | 57% | 3% | 4.50″ May 10, 2011 |
| Florida | 900 | 1.00″ quarter | 72% | 5% | 4.50″ Mar 30, 1996 |
| Michigan | 845 | 1.00″ quarter | 70% | 7% | 4.50″ Jul 26, 1978 |
| New York | 773 | 1.00″ quarter | 72% | 4% | 4.00″ Sep 27, 1998 |
| West Virginia | 703 | 1.00″ quarter | 75% | 5% | 4.50″ Jul 9, 1980 |
| Maryland | 388 | 1.00″ quarter | 91% | 5% | 4.50″ Jun 18, 1970 |
| New Jersey | 356 | 1.00″ quarter | 60% | 2% | 3.00″ Jun 23, 1969 |
| Arizona | 351 | 1.00″ quarter | 76% | 3% | 4.50″ Sep 27, 1995 |
| California | 318 | 0.25″ pea | 26% | 1% | 3.00″ Jan 23, 2016 |
| New Hampshire | 257 | 1.00″ quarter | 96% | 1% | 3.00″ Jun 22, 2008 |
| Massachusetts | 256 | 1.00″ quarter | 53% | 1% | 4.00″ Jun 1, 2011 |
| Idaho | 219 | 1.00″ quarter | 95% | 3% | 3.00″ Jul 14, 1975 |
| Maine | 194 | 1.00″ quarter | 88% | 2% | 4.00″ Jun 1, 1986 |
| Utah | 151 | 1.00″ quarter | 72% | 1% | 2.00″ Aug 30, 1971 |
| Oregon | 141 | 1.00″ quarter | 78% | 5% | 4.00″ Jul 9, 1995 |
| Connecticut | 102 | 1.00″ quarter | 70% | 2% | 3.00″ Jul 4, 2026 |
| Vermont | 92 | 1.00″ quarter | 76% | 0% | 3.30″ Jul 16, 2009 |
| Nevada | 60 | 1.00″ quarter | 52% | 2% | 3.00″ May 5, 1994 |
| Washington | 55 | 1.00″ quarter | 84% | 4% | 3.00″ Jul 9, 1995 |
| Delaware | 48 | 1.00″ quarter | 63% | 4% | 2.50″ May 22, 2014 |
| Rhode Island | 24 | 0.75″ penny | 58% | 0% | 2.75″ Jun 30, 1998 |
| District of Columbia | 19 | 1.00″ quarter | 95% | 0% | 2.75″ Jul 10, 1975 |
| Alaska | 5 | 1.00″ quarter | 100% | 0% | 1.50″ Jun 15, 2005 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 1.25″ half dollar | 50% | 0% | 4.25″ Mar 9, 2012 |
Hail season by state
When hail falls in each state, by month and week, with the largest hail reported in each month:
Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
How often hail of each size falls near you: every state, county and city has a hail history page. Where 1-inch hail falls most often: Hail Belt 2026.