December 1978 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In December 1978, 4 hail, 24 damaging-wind and 28 tornado reports were logged on 12 storm days across 10 states. The largest hail reported was 1.75″ (golf ball size) in Wayne County, MO on December 2, 1978. The most hail reports came on December 2, 1978 (2). Tornadoes killed 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← November 1978 All 1978 storm days January 1979 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of December 1978
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 1978 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1.75″ | 3 |
| Dec 24, 1978 | 0 | 8 | 3 | – | 1 |
| Dec 8, 1978 | 0 | 4 | 5 | – | 3 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0.75″ | 2 |
| Dec 31, 1978 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 |
| Dec 4, 1978 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| Dec 7, 1978 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | 2 |
| Dec 9, 1978 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| Dec 6, 1978 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Dec 18, 1978 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | 1 |
Largest hail reported in December 1978
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 1978 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Wayne County, MO |
| Dec 28, 1978 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Miami-Dade County, FL |
| Dec 2, 1978 | 1.00″ (quarter) | Cape Girardeau County, MO |
| Dec 3, 1978 | 0.75″ (penny) | Yalobusha County, MS |
Storm reports by state, December 1978
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1.75″ |
| Arkansas | 0 | 2 | 9 | – |
| Mississippi | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0.75″ |
| Alabama | 0 | 2 | 4 | – |
| Louisiana | 0 | 2 | 4 | – |
| Missouri | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 2 | – |
| California | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| North Carolina | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| West Virginia | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
Every storm day in December 1978
Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec 6 Dec 7 Dec 8 Dec 9 Dec 18 Dec 23 Dec 24 Dec 28 Dec 31
A storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Read more about NOAA storm reports.