2023 hail season recap
IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service.
The 2023 US hail season: the biggest days by homes inside radar-estimated 1-inch hail, the largest stones, the states and cities hit most, and how it compares.
Published November 7, 2026 · Final for the year · Data through November 6, 2026
In 2023, 11,757 hail, 21,188 damaging-wind and 1,318 tornado reports were logged in the US, with hail reported on 235 days. The largest hailstone reported was 5.90″ (softball size) in Denton County, TX on June 15, 2023. The biggest radar hail day was June 16, 2023, when 1-inch or larger hail was radar-estimated over about 490,000 homes.
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
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
The biggest hail days of 2023, by homes inside the swath
| # | Storm day | Homes inside 1″+ radar hail | People | Area | Radar max | Hail reports | Largest reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 16, 2023 | 485,204 | 1,138,905 | 6,724 mi² | 5.65″ | 177 | 4.60″ |
| 2 | June 25, 2023 | 479,461 | 1,110,674 | 6,307 mi² | 3.99″ | 204 | 4.50″ |
| 3 | September 24, 2023 | 459,933 | 1,107,093 | 2,550 mi² | 5.34″ | 105 | 4.00″ |
| 4 | June 15, 2023 | 373,786 | 903,111 | 10,397 mi² | 5.39″ | 232 | 5.90″ |
| 5 | July 20, 2023 | 365,569 | 825,280 | 5,410 mi² | 5.03″ | 133 | 2.75″ |
| 6 | April 28, 2023 | 336,201 | 814,558 | 3,983 mi² | 3.53″ | 104 | 3.00″ |
| 7 | April 20, 2023 | 334,630 | 868,757 | 3,540 mi² | 3.27″ | 185 | 3.50″ |
| 8 | August 11, 2023 | 315,811 | 697,009 | 3,807 mi² | 3.98″ | 139 | 3.75″ |
| 9 | July 17, 2023 | 310,144 | 663,621 | 7,092 mi² | 4.10″ | 170 | 5.00″ |
| 10 | June 13, 2023 | 305,927 | 766,355 | 8,341 mi² | 4.26″ | 146 | 5.50″ |
| 11 | June 23, 2023 | 303,165 | 672,127 | 8,713 mi² | 4.34″ | 144 | 4.50″ |
| 12 | June 11, 2023 | 264,844 | 667,565 | 9,054 mi² | 4.09″ | 236 | 4.25″ |
| 13 | June 29, 2023 | 257,526 | 560,269 | 6,378 mi² | 3.99″ | 89 | 2.75″ |
| 14 | October 4, 2023 | 254,185 | 645,683 | 5,197 mi² | 4.02″ | 48 | 3.00″ |
| 15 | April 26, 2023 | 251,420 | 557,625 | 6,054 mi² | 4.15″ | 146 | 4.50″ |
Largest hail reported in 2023
| Size | Where | Storm day |
|---|---|---|
| 5.90″ softball | in Denton County, TX | June 15, 2023 |
| 5.50″ softball | in Wheeler County, TX | June 13, 2023 |
| 5.25″ softball | in Yuma County, CO | August 8, 2023 |
| 5.00″ softball | in Tarrant County, TX | June 12, 2023 |
| 5.00″ softball | in Cass County, MO | July 17, 2023 |
| 4.88″ softball | in Noxubee County, MS | June 14, 2023 |
| 4.75″ softball | in Caroline County, VA | August 7, 2023 |
| 4.60″ softball | in Lowndes County, MS | June 16, 2023 |
| 4.50″ softball | in Dickens County, TX | April 25, 2023 |
| 4.50″ softball | in McLennan County, TX | April 26, 2023 |
States with the most hail days in 2023
| # | State | Days with hail reported | Hail reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 113 | 1,917 | 5.90″ |
| 2 | Nebraska | 76 | 744 | 4.50″ |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 70 | 742 | 4.00″ |
| 4 | Kansas | 69 | 780 | 4.00″ |
| 5 | Colorado | 57 | 769 | 5.25″ |
| 5 | South Dakota | 57 | 467 | 4.50″ |
| 7 | Georgia | 47 | 184 | 4.00″ |
| 8 | Missouri | 46 | 549 | 5.00″ |
| 9 | New Mexico | 42 | 225 | 3.50″ |
| 10 | Mississippi | 41 | 263 | 4.88″ |
| 11 | Wyoming | 40 | 249 | 4.00″ |
| 12 | Florida | 39 | 129 | 3.00″ |
Cities with the most days of 1-inch radar-estimated hail in 2023
| City | Population | Days with 1″+ radar hail near the center | Radar max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City, SD | 79,894 | 8 | 2.10″ |
| Box Elder, SD | 13,887 | 7 | 2.02″ |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 493,554 | 6 | 1.82″ |
| Waxahachie, TX | 48,617 | 6 | 2.40″ |
| Mercedes, TX | 17,535 | 6 | 1.67″ |
| Brady, TX | 4,956 | 6 | 1.50″ |
| Summerset, SD | 3,013 | 6 | 2.86″ |
| Elizabeth, CO | 2,773 | 6 | 2.22″ |
| Norton, KS | 2,681 | 6 | 2.25″ |
| Cedar Hill, TX | 49,618 | 5 | 2.02″ |
| Duncanville, TX | 39,203 | 5 | 1.81″ |
| Granite City, IL | 26,854 | 5 | 1.65″ |
| Ennis, TX | 24,753 | 5 | 1.76″ |
| Madisonville, KY | 19,502 | 5 | 1.40″ |
| Great Bend, KS | 14,306 | 5 | 2.36″ |
2023 compared with the 10 years before
| 2023, Jan 1–December 31 | Average, 2013–2022, same dates | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail reports | 11,757 | 8,670 | +36% |
| Days with hail reported | 235 | 227 | +4% |
| Damaging wind reports | 21,188 | 16,023 | +32% |
| Tornado reports | 1,318 | 1,169 | +13% |
Every 2023 storm day: 2023 storm reports by day. Homes inside hail swaths by state and county: the 2026 study. Tornado tracks: tornadoes.