Storm reports for August 21, 2023

Numbers you can quote

On August 21, 2023, about 20,700 homes were inside radar-estimated hail of 1 inch or larger across 3 counties; the most were in Pima County, AZ (about 19,600).

• About 19,600 homes in Pima County, AZ, were inside radar-estimated hail of 1 inch or larger on August 21, 2023. Swath image

Homes are 2020 Census housing units in block groups whose center of population lay inside NOAA MRMS radar-estimated hail (MESH) of 1 inch or larger during the storm day (7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern). These are radar estimates of hail size, not damage counts. More same-day numbers

Cite: National Storms. “Storm reports for August 21, 2023.” https://nationalstorms.com/storms/2023-08-21/. Data through November 6, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports; NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (MESH) via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; 2020 Census housing units. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology

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Other storms on August 21 →

On August 21, 2023, 1 hail, 10 damaging-wind and 0 tornado reports were logged across 4 states. The largest hail reported was 1.50″ (ping pong ball size) in Pima County, AZ. Radar estimated hail of 1 inch or larger over 168 square miles containing about 21,000 homes.

Storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Colored areas are NOAA MRMS radar estimates of the largest hail (MESH) over the day, lower 48 states only; radar overestimates and underestimates size, so read it with the ground reports.

Storm reports by state

Cities with the largest radar-estimated hail

Counties by homes inside 1″+ radar-estimated hail

Homes are 2020 Census housing units and people are 2020 Census residents, counted by block group where its center of population lies under radar-estimated hail of 1 inch or larger.

Hail reports (1)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $118,000 in property damage from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (11 events in 4 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Pima County, AZ (near Emery Park) · Hail 1.50″ · $100,000
  “A swath of large hail from 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter fell from near the Tucson Airport northwest to the campus of the University of Arizona, including at the NWS Tucson WFO. Hail damaged cars, skylights and roofs, including the roof at Rivera Elementary School.”
• Cochise County, AZ (near Huachuca City Arpt) · Thunderstorm wind 64 mph · $10,000
  “Thunderstorm winds blew the corrugated metal roof off a machine shed in Whetstone.”
• Pinal County, AZ (near Apache Jct) · Thunderstorm wind 58 mph · $5,000
  “A mobile home at Lost Dutchman RV Resort had most of its roof peeled back due to damaging winds. No injuries were reported.”
• Pinal County, AZ (near Apache Jct) · Thunderstorm wind 58 mph · $3,000
  “Images and videos showed multiple large trees uprooted at the City Hall in Apache Junction. No injuries were reported.”
• Pima County, AZ (near Old Tuscon) · Thunderstorm wind 70 mph
  “Thunderstorm winds downed 400 saguaro cacti and damaged 800 others at Saguaro National Park West.”
• Cochise County, AZ (near Sierra Vista) · Thunderstorm wind 60 mph
  “A spotter reported 60 mph wind gusts near Sierra Vista.”

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