Storm reports for May 1, 2002

IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology

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Other storms on May 1 →

On May 1, 2002, 159 hail, 57 damaging-wind and 14 tornado reports were logged across 14 states. The largest hail reported was 4.50″ (softball size) in Nelson County, KY.

Storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Radar hail estimates start October 2019.

Storm reports by state

Cities with hail reported within 5 miles

Hail reports (159)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $47.2 million in property damage, $4 million in crop damage and 7 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (238 events in 15 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Marion County, KY (near Lebanon) · Hail 1.75″ · $30,000 · 2 injuries
  “Two people were struck by hail and taken to the hospital. Hail knocked the windows out of several buildings and at least three police cruisers.”
• Raleigh County, WV (near Ghent) · Thunderstorm wind · $20,000 · 1 injury
  “A north bound tracker trailer, with about 1000 pounds of cargo, hit a cross wind on the West Virginia Turnpike. The wind was associated with the same thunderstorm complex that moved through Coal City. The wind forced the truck off the left passing lane, and into the sloping medium.”
• Bond County, IL (near Greenville) · Tornado F1 · 1 injury
  “Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast.”
• Laurel County, KY (near Countywide) · Hail 4.50″ · $30 million
  “During the evening of May 1st, a severe thunderstorm moving southeast dumped a large swath of hail ranging in size from pennies to softballs across a large portion of Laurel County. Numerous homes and vehicles were damaged, especially in the town of London.”
• Pulaski County, KY (near Countywide) · Hail 4.50″ · $5 million
  “During the evening of May 1st, a severe thunderstorm moved southeast across much of Pulaski county. A large swath of golfball to softball size hail pounded much of the county causing considerable damage to numerous homes and automobiles. Downed trees due to strong winds were reported in Eubank.”
• Rockcastle County, KY (near Countywide) · Hail 2.75″ · $4.5 million
  “The same severe thunderstorm that moved through Pulaski county, traveled southeast across much of Rockcastle county. A large swath of hail ranging in size from quarters to golfballs pounded much of the county, including the towns of Brodhead, Level Green, Spiro, and Ottawa.”

Event narratives from NWS Storm Data, shortened. Up to six per day, chosen by deaths, injuries, damage and size.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database, as entered by National Weather Service offices; data through July 31, 2026. Damage is in dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation.

Guides: What radar-estimated hail (MESH) is and isn't · Storm reports: preliminary vs final