Ask most homeowners what hurts roofs and they say hail. In the federal storm record, wind shows up on more days. In 189 of our 206 cities the county logged more days with gusts of 58 mph or more than days with hail of an inch or larger. The median city has 50 wind days against 16 hail days since 2014.
Where wind leads by the widest margin
Tallahassee, FL tops the gap with 144 wind days against 9 hail days. Cary follows with 159 against 30. The pattern is regional. The table shows the median county in each state, and the eastern states sit at the top, where thunderstorms bring severe gusts far more often than stones of an inch or more.
| State | Counties | Median wind days | Median hail days | Wind to hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 9 | 46 | 8 | 5.8 to 1 |
| Virginia | 7 | 27 | 5 | 5.4 to 1 |
| South Carolina | 6 | 98 | 20 | 4.8 to 1 |
| Michigan | 8 | 42 | 9 | 4.6 to 1 |
| North Carolina | 11 | 59 | 13 | 4.5 to 1 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 61 | 14 | 4.5 to 1 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 80 | 59 | 1.4 to 1 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 51 | 44 | 1.2 to 1 |
| Texas | 18 | 44 | 38 | 1.1 to 1 |
| Colorado | 7 | 29 | 45 | 0.6 to 1 |
Tornadoes are rarer, and narrower
Counties in our data logged a median of 8 tornadoes since 2014. The highest counts are Jackson, MS (52), Mobile, AL (45), Greeley, CO (43), Moore, OK (42). A tornado cuts a narrow path, so a county count says little about whether a given street was in the way. Wind and hail cover whole neighborhoods at once.
The strongest gusts on record
The strongest reported gusts in the county records behind our cities are Cedar Rapids, IA at 140 mph on 2020-08-10; Evansville, IN at 120 mph on 2014-05-09; Odessa, TX at 120 mph on 2025-06-03; Pueblo, CO at 119 mph on 2021-07-01. A gust at that strength damages far more than shingles, and these are the peaks, not the normal run of storms.
Where hail still wins
Hail days outnumber wind days in 17 cities, and they sit in few states: Colorado (9), Texas (5), New Mexico (2), Nebraska (1). Greeley, Colorado is one, with 66 wind days against 118 hail days. The table lists counties once, so cities that share a county appear under one name.
| City | Wind days (58 mph+) | Hail days (1 in+) | Strongest gust (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley, CO | 66 | 118 | 90 |
| Fort Collins, CO | 14 | 53 | 81 |
| Arvada, CO | 10 | 45 | 78 |
| Boulder, CO | 8 | 30 | 72 |
| Killeen, TX | 28 | 43 | 100 |
| Pueblo, CO | 41 | 55 | 119 |
| Waco, TX | 29 | 38 | 81 |
| Westminster, CO | 32 | 41 | 81 |
Wind and hail damage look different, and policies often treat them differently. Hail tends to leave round bruises and granule loss on the surface, while wind more often lifts, creases or removes shingles, mainly along edges and ridges. Many policies in storm-prone states carry a separate wind or hail deductible, often a percentage of the home value. Read yours before a storm, and ask your roofer to photograph and label each type of damage. Our hail claim checklist shows what to document.
Reading these numbers carefully
- Reports, not sensors. A wind day here is a day with a report of a 58 mph gust, measured or estimated. Reports depend on people seeing and reporting, and populated areas produce more of them than empty land.
- County totals. The record is by county, so a city shares its number with every neighbor in the same county.
- Different thresholds. 58 mph is the National Weather Service severe wind line, and 1 inch is its hail line. A day over one threshold is not directly comparable in damage to a day over the other.
- Counts, not costs. This shows how often, not how much. A single large hail day can cost more than many wind days, as our piece on hail damage totals shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does wind damage roofs more often than hail?
In the storm record it is reported more often. In 189 of 206 cities in our directory, counties logged more days of 58 mph or stronger gusts than days of hail 1 inch or larger.
How do I tell wind damage from hail damage?
Wind damage usually shows as missing, curled or creased shingles, especially at edges and ridges. Hail damage usually shows as round bruises and bare spots where granules came off. A roofer or adjuster should inspect, and photos help.
What counts as a damaging wind in this data?
A gust of 58 mph or more, the National Weather Service severe thunderstorm wind threshold. Gusts may be measured or estimated.
Is my wind and hail deductible the same as my regular deductible?
Not always. Many homeowner policies set a separate, often percentage-based deductible for wind or hail. Check your declarations page.
Where the numbers come from
Data: county-level counts of distinct days, joined to our cities by county FIPS code. Processed by PickARoofer. See our data notes.
Sources
How we write and fund our articles: editorial policy.
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